


I will shape myself into your pocket

by little_dumpling



Series: Lotus Flower [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alpha Jango Fett, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Bonding, Family Dynamics, Fanart, Fix-It, Gen, Good Parent Jango Fett, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mpreg, Non-Graphic Violence, Omega Obi-Wan Kenobi, Omega Verse, POV Jango Fett, POV Obi-Wan Kenobi, Pregnancy, Slow Burn, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:26:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 48,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25933603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/little_dumpling/pseuds/little_dumpling
Summary: “Jetii,” the man spat, growling deeply from his chest.Great,Obi-Wan thought, they'd wandered into some feral alpha's territory, and now they'd mostly likely have to fight their way out of here.Obi-Wan, Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and the future Duchess of Mandalore encounter a rogue alpha while on the run from Death Watch, on Concord Dawn.Jango Fett may have once been the Mand'alor, but now he's just a broken, lost alpha following two Jedi he hates and a politician he doesn't trust. These four unlikely companions must learn to trust each other and work together for the sake of a new life and the fate of the galaxy.Or, the Fix-it Omega-verse Star Wars fic, where some people still die, but many more live.
Relationships: Jango Fett/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Satine Kryze, Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: Lotus Flower [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1882141
Comments: 318
Kudos: 781





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I have not read much in Star Wars Legends about what happened to Obi-Wan, Satine and Qui-Gon during their mission to Mandalore, I only know what little information is given us to in SW:CW, so this story is gonna go off in it's own direction. That said, you **only** have to know the prequel movies to understand this fic!! :)
> 
> translations:  
>  _Mand'alor_ : leader of the Mandalorians  
>  _Usenye_ : Go away! (rude/obscene)  
>  _Buir_ : parent (gender neutral)  
>  _Haat Mando'ade_ : lit. True Mandalorians, from haat meaning true, and Mando'ade meaning people/children of Mandalore  
>  _Mando'ades_ : Mandalorians, lit. Children of Mandalore  
> standard week = 5 days

The darkening sky cast long shadows on the tall, brown, grassy fields around them. Obi-Wan wasn't sure if his master was smart for sticking to the country roads, what with a group of Death Watch soldiers not far behind them. But at the same time, Obi-Wan could see that walking into the tall grass could easily get them quickly lost, as most of the flora was taller than Obi-Wan himself.

Not that Obi-Wan felt as if he had much control over his Master's decisions or the situation. It didn't help that Obi-Wan had hit his head while trying to push Satine out of the way of one of the terrorists laser rifles, when the group had surprised them at their last hiding hole.

The sky and land around them were slowly growing dark with both the approaching night, and what looked like a large thunderstorm headed towards them from the north.

The three of them hurried around the bend of the road, only to be met with an unmarked crossroad.

“Which way, Master?” Obi-Wan asked, consciously not moving his hand to touch the cut on his scalp, and draw attention to the wound that was sluggishly bleeding into his hair.

Satine's intelligent, pale eyes flickered between them, as if trying to see their thoughts. They'd only been travelling together for two standard weeks, and both Satine and the two Jedi were still learning to trust each other.

He was sure that seeing her father murdered right before her very eyes hadn't helped.

His Master paused, looking both ways. Obi-Wan could tell he was sinking into the Force to discern which road would be the better to take, just by the way his eyes went a bit distant.

“There's a few buildings to the north that would work,” his Master nodded to the road to their right. “They feel abandoned.”

North, into the oncoming storm, and possibly closer to the soldiers from Death Watch who were hunting them from the East.

But at this point, Obi-Wan knew better than to argue with his Master. They were tired, dirty and each of them carried a minor injury or two. It would be best to find shelter, if they could both safely and quickly.

They hurried down the road for the next twenty minutes, hoping to find their respite soon. 

Wind was whipping dirt from the road into their eyes as the storm grew over their heads. The first sense of their goal was the sound of the wind whistling against duracrete, and then a small clearing with a farm house and barn crept into their view on the left.

The homestead was older, uncared for, and looked to be uninhabited.

His Master's pace increased, eager to secure the buildings before looking for a place to rest. As his Master stepped off the dirt road and onto the property, a low rumbling came from the tall grass, and a man that smelled strongly of alpha stepped into their path.

The alpha was broad shouldered, but not tall, if anything he was only a little bit taller than Obi-Wan, but the aggression in his demeanour would have been evident to even the most Force-blind of creatures.

“ _Usenye_ ,” he scowled at them.

“Do you live here?” Master Qui-Gon gestured to the farm house, just as the clouds started to spit on them. “We are injured and in need of shelter for the night.”

The alpha took a step closer, violence in every line of his body. “Get. Away!” His words sounded stilted and forced.

Satine took a step back, from where she'd been standing behind his Master, and Qui-Gon instinctively unsheathed his lightsaber, feeling her unease.

“ _Jetii_ ,” the man spat, growling deeply from his chest.

 _Great_ , Obi-Wan thought, _they'd wandered into some feral alpha's territory, and now they'd mostly likely have to fight their way out of here._

The man in question was dirty, his grey tunic, black trews and boots scrapped and torn. His dark curly hair had unevenly grown around his ears and his thick beard looked tangled and unwashed.

The man's Force presence felt illusive, but injury and the stress of their flight from Death Watch meant that Obi-Wan couldn't tell if the man's illusive presence was from either a lot of training, or him having no Force sensitivity at all.

“I'll kill you in the name of my _buir_ and all the _Haat Mando'ade_!” And suddenly there was a knife in his hand, and he was moving towards his Master with a speed that was frightening.

Above them, the dark clouds rumbled with thunder and a cold rain began to pour.

***

Obi-Wan had only been three months away his 18th life day when the Senate decided to send Jedi ambassadors to Mandalore to help the leader of the New Mandalorians establish his rule over the system.

Despite the Mandalorian system being neutral and not a part of the Republic, the Senate wanted the peaceful faction the New Mandalorians to take power over the system that had been in the midst of a civil war for a very long time.

The hope was that with the backing of the Galactic Republic and its Senate, the warring would finally come to an end. And if the pacifist New Mandalorians were the group suddenly in power, Mandalore might be more open to the idea of joining the Republic and sharing their rich resources with the rest of the galaxy.

So the Jedi Council had decided to send him and his Master. They were mandated to protect the new Duke of Mandalore and help him negotiate peace talks with the two other warring factions. The first was Death Watch, who wanted to continue the warrior and warring culture of Mandalore. The other was the slowly dying True Mandalorians, who wanted to uphold the old traditions, culture and lifestyle of Mandalore.

In all honestly, Obi-Wan was hoping it would be a short and unmemorable assignment. It would be nice to be get back to the Jedi temple with enough time to celebrate his life day with his friends. But the bad feeling that formed in his gut when they stepped off their ship and into the capital, made him worry this assignment was going to be anything but easy. 

He and his Master had only been in the capital of Mandalore for a few hours when Duke Kryze had been assassinated by one of the other factions. The immediate violence that devolved throughout the Capital meant him and his Master, plus the Duke's heir Satine Kryze, had to hightail it out of there quickly, or risk certain death.

That didn't mean that Satine Kryze would go quietly. But as someone who had devoted her life to pacifism, Satine knew she wouldn't be able to stay and gain hold of her new leadership while staying true to her morals.

So she'd left with them, and they'd run, only to be shot down by Death Watch. Their ship had crash landed on the planet Concord Dawn, right in the middle of the most rural and remote part of the planet.

Currently, they had no way to contact any of the late Duke Kryze's forces. And even if they could, with their ship damages, they would have no way to join them. Obi-Wan, his Master and Satine were well and truly stuck on Concord Dawn, with no money, no means of communication, and no ship.

It didn't help that the few people they'd seen on planet in the last two weeks, were either trying to kill them, or wanted _nothing_ to do with the Duchess or her two Jedi protectors.

Obi-Wan sighed and returned to his task at hand. He was currently looking through the abandoned farmhouse for food. Anything edible would have been nice really. There wasn't much of anything in the building though. The farmhouse had obviously been empty for a long time.

Obi-Wan opened another squeaky cupboard door, searching the small storage space for any preserved food left by the previous owners. He was trying his hardest to finish his search and ignore the dirty alpha they'd had the unfortunate to run into outside. The alpha in question passed out cold on the dusty stone floor, breathing steadily.

Satine was exploring the rest of the farmhouse, looking for the most secure and sheltered place to sleep, while Master Qui-Gon sat at a rickety kitchen table, poking at their small, broken communication unit. They should have been able to use it to send encrypted messages to the Duke's Forces back in the capital, but now all the communicator was good for was a flimsiplast weight.

The sound of heavy rain beating against the duracrete walls was loud in the little house, water was trickling into the house where the walls were cracked and exposed to the outside elements. Small puddles had begun to form anywhere the floor was starting to sink.

Almost two months and one week until his 18th life day, and at this rate, he couldn't imagine their situations would be much improved by then. Not that he hadn't sleep in worse, more exposed places. But still, it would have been nice to have stayed the whole mission in the grand government house in the capital. A padawan could hope, after all.

Obi-Wan glanced again over at the strange alpha on the floor, where he was sleeping off the strong Force-suggestion Master Qui-Gon had sent his way when he'd charged at them.

Well, at least whatever the next morning brought, it was going to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Jango wakes up and is NOT happy.  
> 
> 
> Before reading chapter 2, check out [Part 2 of the _Lotus Flower_ series: "Invisible"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25933864). It is a small piece from Jango Fett's perspective six months before this story starts. It gives a little insight to Jango and his state of mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Jango Fett was a man hurt, wounded by others at an early age. Part of Jango wanted Kryze to suffer, as he had. But the part of him that still held a burning hatred for Death Watch would rather see her live and have the opportunity to ruin their plans._
> 
> _...And **he** might hate the Duchess Kryze and everything she stood for, but that didn't mean he wouldn't respect if the people of Mandalore were **happy** with her or her father as their leader. So he'd swallow his anger towards her and leave her be... At least for now._
> 
> _But he wasn't just going to leave her to be hurt by these traitorous **jetiise**. Over his dead body. He didn't have the strength to kill them yet, but he would bide his time, he could wait for the perfect opportunity._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were some really good questions raised in the Chapter 1 comments about Jango having a strong mind/will and how Jedi mind-tricks wouldn't really work on him. And to that, I say: Yes, normally they wouldn't, but this was a special situation that Master Jinn felt and took advantage of. I've tried my best to explain why without coming right out to say why, because this chapter is from Jango's POV. So hopefully it's clear why the sleep suggestion would have worked on him. Please let me know if I need to clear anything else up!! :)
> 
> Apologies that this chapter is from Jango's POV. Originally this whole story was supposed to be from Obi-Wan's perspective, while the side fics in this series were going to be from Jango's. But then this chapter just didn't work from Obi-Wan's POV, and Jango refused to be ignored, haha! So I think POVs will probably switch between the two of them from now on. Sorry for any confusion!
> 
> Thank-you so much for all the lovely comments and kudos on the first chapter! Comments really encourage me to continue writing, so y'all who left me a note are real MVPs! <3
> 
> Translations:  
>  _Manda_ : 1. the state of being Mandalorian in mind, body, and spirit. 2. the collective soul or heaven of the Mandalorian people  
>  _Mand'alor_ : leader of the Mandalorians  
>  _Su'cuy_ : Hi  
>  _ner vod_ : My friend, or My brother/sister  
>  _jetii_ : a Jedi  
>  _jetiise_ : plural of Jedi  
>  _aruetyc_ : foreign, or even traitorous, but also a general meaning of "not Mandalorian"  
>  _yustapir sarad_ : lotus flower, literally meaning: river blossom  
>  _Hut'uunla_ : cowardly  
>  _beskar'gam_ : armour, literally: iron skin  
>  _buir_ : parent  
>  _Kyr'tsad_ : Death Watch  
>  _Haat Mando'ade_ : literally means True Mandalorians, from haat meaning true, and Mando'ade meaning people/children of Mandalore

Jango felt the world come back to him slowly. He groaned deeply, his brain pounding against his skull. What had happened?

He was lying on a cold, hard floor, and his mind felt groggy like he'd been drugged. It had been a while since the slavers had needed to use drugs on him to make him cooperate. Physical punishment had never been a motivation to co-operate.

He'd been beaten close to death several times until his captors had finally found that injecting him with mind-suggestion drugs was a far more useful motivator than lashings. Jango hated the thought that they could control his will and his mind without any way for him to stop it. He became much more compliant (broken) after that, and they'd had to neither beat or drug him again.

 _No, not broken. Bent, but not broken,_ his mind whispered, _but you're not there anymore._

It look a few seconds, but it slowly came back to him. He'd escaped his slave captors when pirates had docked and boarded the spice freighter. He'd killed the slavers with the blaster he'd stolen and taken the pirates' ship.

It had taken him a while, but he'd slowly made his way back to Concord Dawn. Back to the planet where it had all started.

He'd parked the ship in a port in the planet's southern hemisphere and had taken to wandering through the city. He'd felt lost, untethered, unsure what to do or where to go.

At first he'd wandered from town to town in the more populous areas, until they felt too stale; until he had nothing left to see. Then he moved on.

About a month ago he'd finally made his way to the northern hemisphere, where his family had owned farm land, decades ago.

The farm where his family had been murdered by Death Watch. It had taken him weeks to find the land. Partially because he'd only been a child when he'd left with Jaster, partially because his wandering had been so slow and meandering.

He felt he knew this planet better now from his few months of wandering, than he ever had of his years growing up here.

One benefit of his wandering had been hat he'd briefly remade the acquaintance of some of his parents friends. Some of them had offered to take him in, or loan him money. Some seemed to think he should fix up the family farmhouse or buy a ticket off this boring rock and never come back. Almost all of them had good intentions, but the stubborn, _Manda_ spirit in him refused their kind efforts.

He didn't deserve their kindness. He'd been their _Mand'alor_ and he'd failed them. He'd failed his _buir_ , his birth family and himself.

But then, not quite a standard week ago, he'd finally found his way onto the farmland. The fields were overgrown with weeds and the irrigation system was broken down and the farmstead in a state of serious disrepair.

Weeds had grown over the graves that had been erected by kind neighbours, after his family had been killed and Jaster had taken him away.

The first thing he'd done was find an ancient cutting tool in the barn to trim the grass and weeds away from the farmhouse and tend the graves. But after that, he'd lost all desire to work the farm. He knew he could have gotten it up and running if he wanted to. But it would be a lot of work to get the farm working again. It might even take a few years just to earn a profit on the land, and he didn't really care that much about farming.

So he'd wandered around the property, lost in a haze of memories and mourning. 

He'd barely eaten in those four days, and hadn't slept a single second since his boots had hit the property line.

But that was then.

Now, he took a deep breath, trying to ease his memories back and focus on his current situation. The deep breath that felt more full of dust than air, and he turned onto his side, coughing into his arm.

“Someone's awake,” an amused feminine voice greeted him, and he snapped his eyes open to look at her. A white-blond young woman stood with two men around the ancient, wobbly kitchen table. He was lying on the floor, only a few steps away from them.

“ _Su'cuy, ner vod,_ ” She smiled.

Jango glared up at her. “I am not your brother,” he rasped, his throat dry and hurting.

He tried to remember how he'd gotten from outside to here. He'd been in the field staring at the spot, that 18 years before, he'd hidden with Jastor against the irrigation pipe from Death Watch. It was as if he could still hear his mothers screams as they murdered her. And then suddenly he'd heard _real_ people approaching from the road.

He'd been lost in the past, in dark childhood memories, but he'd been aware enough to sense people approaching from the real world. And he might have been a bit out of it, but he still had enough cognizance to protect himself from threats. So he'd made his way out from the tall grass, growling at the intruders.

He'd been confronted by two unfamiliar males and a female. The taller male had withdrawn a lasersword, and Jango had seen red. It was just like weapons back on Galidraan, where the Jedi had used them to slaughter his people.

He'd unthinkingly charged at the _jetii_ , and the last thing he'd seen was an outstretched hand and feeling the strong impression that he had to go to sleep _right now_. And to be fair to his poor brain, he hadn't slept in days and even before that, hadn't slept _well_ in months... maybe even years.

He blinked at the trio and cleared his throat again, trying to chase away the dust lodged in his trachea. He was surprised when the smaller male moved around the table, a canteen in his hand.

He glared at the kid, until he realized the kid had outstretched his hand to offer Jango the water container.

Jango snatched the canteen and sniffed suspiciously at the open neck. Not that many poisons even had an odour, but one could only do what they could.

“We're happy to share with you whatever we have, but please don't attack us again, or we will be forced to to use lethal force,” said the smaller _jetii_. And Jango knew he was a _jetii_ too because he could see his sword hilt hanging from his belt.

“I'm not promising anything.” He snapped and took a sip.

When the first sip didn't immediately kill him, he gulped down the rest of the canteen like a man dying of thirst. He supposed he hadn't been taking very good care of himself.

He reached up to wipe some water off his top lip and got a good look at the sleeve of his tunic and the state of his hands. He was filthy. He probably stank to high _Manda_ too.

Even when he'd been enslaved on the spice freighter, he'd been allowed some amount of hygiene, food and sleep. They had to take care of the merchandise, even if that merchandise was living beings.

For a long moment, he looked down at the canteen, opened his mouth, and then paused. He did not want to admit a weakness to these _aruetyc jetiise_ , but they could probably see with their own eyes how unkempt and dirty he was.

He looked up and studied them for a moment. They were all pretty dirty too, though not to the extreme that Jango was. There was tightness around the large one's eyes that spoke of stress and possible injury. The smaller male's face was pale in an unnatural way that spoke of bearing pain and the woman seemed to be favouring her left leg.

He needed to bide his time and wait this situation out.

Jango was tired, he hadn't cared for himself well in the last few weeks, but he was still strong. He could kill these bantha shits if he had to, but just like on the spice freighter, he needed to wait for the perfect opportunity.

“I don't suppose any of you have an extra tunic, or perhaps a laser hair trimmer on you?” He reached up to stroke his beard, quirking his eyebrows at the feel of it. It had been a long time since he'd been clean shaven, he longed to see how his face looked now, after these long three years.

The small red-headed _jetii_ shook his head. “We really only have the clothes on our back, water and a first aid kit.”

His dark piercing eyes met the younger man's. “I don't suppose there's a laser scalpel in there?”

“Yes,” he frowned, “But it wouldn't be very accurate--”

Jango waved him off, “I've used worse.”

***

Jango took the empty canteen, the laser scalpel from the first aid kit and walked to the edge of the property where there was a small stream that had acted as a source for their irrigation system.

The morning sun was still low in the sky, and a soft chatter of birds filled the air.

He knelt down on the edge of the stream and filled the canteen first. The water would need to be boiled before being consumed, but with no running water or well on the farmstead, it was better to have than not.

Then he carefully peeled off his clothes and washed his shirt, his trews and underclothes in the water as best he could without any soap.

A small white and red _yustapir sarad_ floated close to him and he pushed it away, finishing his task. He hung his clothes over a bush to dry and slowly waded into the cold water.

The summer was coming to an end on Concord Dawn and the air was cooler than it had been a few weeks ago.

Shivering a bit at the temperature, Jango did his best to wash his body in the slightly murky water. The water only came up to his belly button, and he had to kneel awkwardly to fully submerge himself. Small water bugs danced along the top as he washed. He wished he had some soap or maybe a coarse cloth to help, but this would do for now.

The monotonous nature of these tasks helped him clear his mind and sort things out.

He was curious about why the _jetiise_ and young woman were here. It was obvious they didn't know the farmstead was his family's or even who he was. Her face looked familiar in the way that a lot of Mandalorians from the capital planet, Mandalore, did. But something about her pale, pointy features and light blonde hair tugged at a corner of his mind. He couldn't tell if it was because of her similarities to the people who claimed “genealogical” belonging to Mandalore, or there was something more.

Something to explore later. Maybe he might be able to get her talking enough to figure out why she was familiar, when he returned to the farmhouse. The three people sure hadn't looked like they were going anywhere when he'd left. They'd been whispering furtively to each other, examining a powered-down communications device.

Although he felt a deep, seething hatred for all _jetiise_ , he felt no ill will or malice coming from the other two. He'd kill them the moment they did something that warranted it, or if he came upon the chance, but otherwise for now, he would just observe them.

Maybe it was the three years of slavery that had calmed his rage, or maybe it was because he'd always been good at thinking things through, but his curiosity won out over his rage.

Once he was done washing his body, he climbed out of the stream and shook as much water off as he could, squeezing out his dark, curly hair. It had grown longer than he'd ever liked having it, but it wasn't a priority right now.

He picked up the durasteel canteen, and using it's shiny side as a mirror, he set the laser scalpel on low power and did his best to cut the hair away from his cheeks and chin. He left a short, uneven layer of hair on his face so as not to cut himself, but it felt less itchy and hot now.

He'd never grown out his beard before he'd been enslaved, it had been easier not to with his helmet, now he wondered where his _beskar'gam_ even was. It was a mystery he'd have to sort out later, though.

He dressed in his slightly damp clothes and began his walk back to the farmhouse. Wondering what he'd find when he made his way back inside.

***

The younger _jetii_ looked up from where the three were gathered around the table, when Jango entered and closed the backdoor behind him. An ancient map of the area was spread out on the uneven surface. Jango wondered where they'd even found it.

“You look a lot better,” the young man smiled.

Jango raised an eyebrow. “I'd feel a lot better if you hadn't used your powers to force me into an unwelcome sleep.”

The young man blushed and turned to the taller one looking for a clue on how to respond.

The taller one looked unimpressed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You were trying to attack us.”

Jango gave a low warning growl, and the taller _jetii_ showed his teeth in a returning alpha gesture. He didn't smell much like an alpha, in fact none of them had a strong scent, so he'd assumed they were all betas. But the man's facial expression held a certain weight to it that would have fallen flat if the man had been a beta.

The young _jetii_ cut in quickly, obviously eager to avoid a physical altercation between the two. “You looked a little bit like you needed the sleep, do you feel more rested?” he said, not unkindly.

Jango frowned and turned to look the young man. He stared at him intensity for a few moments. “No matter my physical or mental state, it didn't give you the right to play with my mind.”

The taller man's weight shifted, and he dropped his arms, his expression neutral. “You're right. I'm sorry.”

“And anyways, I want you off my property.”

The three uninvited guests looked at each other in surprise.

“This is your house?” The female asked carefully.

“What of it?” Jango snapped. “Not as nice as your rich home in the capital?”

“N-no,” the young woman shook her head, “That's not what I meant. Only, it doesn't seem like anyone has been in this house in years,” she winced.

“Well I've been busy,” Jango crossed his arms and looked away, trying to ignore the suffocating sorrow and guilt that was turning his stomach.

The three were quiet for a moment, and the younger one stepped forward, holding out his hand. “I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi. I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot, yesterday. Only, we've been trying to keep one step ahead of Death Watch, and--”

“Obi-Wan,” the taller _jetii_ cut him off, scolding him for revealing too much.

“Death Watch,” Jango said flatly and felt his shoulders tighten.

The younger man dropped his hand from where it had been outstretched.

“You heard him. Death Watch is after us,” the young woman stepped forward, her voice strong and stubborn.

“What do those _hut'uunla_ shits want?”

The female relaxed at his tone. “They murdered my father, Duke Kryze, two weeks ago. Now they want to finish me off as well.”

His eyes narrowed at the Kryze woman. So that was why she looked familiar, she was the spit of her father. Duke Kryze... the leader of the New Mandalorians, the group that wanted to suffocate all that was good and true about Mandalorian culture. He supposed he should give the man points for not being the kind of filth that killed everyone and everything that stood in his way, like the way Death Watch did. It didn't hurt in Jango's books that the man had obviously been willing to die for his ideals.

He shied away from the thought that Jaster had also died for his beliefs, in his own way. He'd died in battle and Jango had been unable to follow. Instead he'd ripped apart as many of those scum _jetiise_ with his bare hands until more _jetiise_ had taken him down and left him to slavery. He'd obviously not earned his own martyrdom yet, as his _buir_ had.

He pushed the thought away. It had taken him a long time during his imprisonment, but he'd finally accepted that although the _jetiise_ had played a huge part in the destruction of his people, but it had been Death Watch that had lead them to it. There was only one group that Jango hated more than the _jetiise_ , and that was the cowardly _Kyr'tsad_ : Death Watch.

Jango looked between the three. “So the question really is, what are you still doing here, in my home?”

Jango Fett was a man hurt, wounded by others at an early age. Part of Jango wanted Kryze to suffer, as he had. But the part of him that still held a burning hatred for Death Watch would rather see her live and have the opportunity to ruin their plans.

...And _he_ might hate the Duchess Kryze and everything she stood for, but that didn't mean he wouldn't respect if the people of Mandalore were _happy_ with her or her father as their leader. So he'd swallow his anger towards her and leave her be... At least for now.

But he wasn't just going to leave her to be hurt by these traitorous _jetiise_. Over his dead body. He didn't have the strength to kill them yet, but he would bide his time, he could wait for the perfect opportunity.

Jango couldn't believe that he was about to help two _jetiise_ and the possible future leader of the New Mandalorians. Would it be a betrayal of his _buir_ , of his people if he helped them?

But if needs must... Then he would bend, but he would not break.

“There's no love for Death Watch in this area,” Jango leaned back on the door frame, relaxing his body to look as if he had no care in the world. “There are many sympathizers that would help you, if you were to look in the right place.”

“Sympathizers,” Kryze frowned, her pale beauty curled into confused suspicion. “To the True Mandalorians, or to Haat Mando'ade?”

“Haat Mando'ade?” Kenobi's head tilted in question. The taller _jetii_ continued to quietly watch the conversation with quick, intelligent eyes.

“They were a traditionalist group of Mandalorians, they believed their _Manda_ or warrior spirit, and honour in battle were some of the most important things in life. They didn't care what system you were from, as long as you upheld their values.” she explained to the young man, before turning back to Jango. “Most of them were murdered by Death Watch a few years ago, during the Battle of Galidraan.”

Jango shrugged and looked away. She'd rather butchered what his people believed, what they were. But now wasn't the time... There were no people left to uphold their values anyway. “Either. Both. To anything but Death Watch.”

“Well then, I believe we are in need of your help, Mr. --?” She asked, holding his gaze.

“Fett.” He answered without waver, straightening his back unconsciously. “Jango Fett.” He wouldn't lie about who he was, even if it clued her in to who he truly was.

She nodded diplomatically, “It's good to meet you Mr. Fett, and we would appreciate any help you could provide.”

Kryze had not reacted to his name at all, so either she was stupid or ignorant about _Haat Manda'lore's_ past. No matter which it was, he wasn't about to bring it up.

He could do this. Help these people. Even if the fire in his belly wanted him to take out his knife and start slashing.

He would bend, he would not break.

Jango took a step toward the table. “First we need to discuss exactly where you've been, where you've seen Death Watch, and exactly what you're trying to accomplish.”

He looked down at the map and slowly reached down to right it. “Oh and this way is North,” he pointed.

The taller _jetii_ nodded in appreciation, a contemplative look in his eyes. He shot a loaded look at the shorter one, as if asking him to explain.

Kenobi opened his mouth and began to tell him everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Jango:** *coughs up dust at the beginning of the chapter*  
>  **Me:** oH nO jAnGo, YoU hAvE cOvId  
>  **Jango:** *glares at me* there's no covid in the star wars universe.  
>  **Me:** yeah, well I have asthma and every time I cough at the store, everyone worries I'm contagious and runs away, so you'll suffer from covid if I tell you to.  
>  **Jango:** I want a new writer.
> 
> Next chapter: Jango introduces his new “friends” to some old ones. Satine gets dirty. Qui-Gon is suspicious. Obi-Wan is intrigued by their mysterious Mandalorian guide and needs to know more. Satine notices something that could mean the difference between life and death.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter is incredibly long. I thought a lot about cutting it into two pieces, but in the end decided to keep it as one. If it is too long, let me know and I'll split it into two parts. :)
> 
> Side note 1: Lothcats are roughly the same size as our domestic house cats.  
> Side note 2: Concord Dawn (the planet they're on), in this story, has shorter days (around 20-22 hour days), but a longer years than we do, because they're further from their sun than we are, but their planet is smaller.
> 
> Translations:  
>  _Bantov_ : nevertheless. Here it's used as a transition word, e.g. “nevertheless, but I want to talk about something else”  
>  _Kyr'tsad_ : Death Watch  
>  _aliit_ : family/clan  
>  _jetiise_ : Jedi, plural  
>  _aruetiise_ : Outsiders, foreigners, traitors, plural

Last chapter:  
_Jango took a step towards the table. “First we need to discuss exactly where you've been, where you've seen Death Watch, and exactly what you're trying to accomplish.”_

_...The taller **jetii** nodded in appreciation, a contemplative look in his eyes. He shot a loaded look at the shorter one, as if asking him to explain._

_Kenobi opened his mouth and began to tell him everything._

The alpha, Fett, had listened closely to Obi-Wan, his expression intent. Obi-Wan tried to be as detailed as possible as he talked about where they had crash landed on Concord Dawn, as well as the route they had taken to get to the farmstead, where they'd stopped for shelter, and the locations of the small altercations they'd gotten into with various Death Watch patrols.

Obi-Wan couldn't help but notice that there was something very sharp and cunning in those dark eyes.

Fett nodded once Obi-Wan had finished talking. “It sounds to me like they don't have a clear path of where you've been, or where you're headed.”

“We've been using the Force to cover our tracks and confuse them. The last time they came upon us, they almost seemed surprised,” Master Qui-Gon interjected. His Master was trying to figure the Mandalorian alpha out, Obi-Wan could tell. He had his _I'm thinking deeply_ expression on, and he'd barely said much of anything since the alpha had come back into the house, instead content to observe him silently.

Fett glared at his Master, “Maybe, but you've been lucky so far that none of the locals have turned you in. The threat of a little violence to some of the weaker residents would have them telling Death Watch where their own grandmothers were hiding.”

“I thought you said there were sympathizers here,” Satine cut in.

Fett let out an angry grunt, “Yes, but some of the residents have a lot to lose, and aren't willing to stand up to such violence. We'll have to be careful.”

“We have little supplies left to aid us or sustain us. At this point we're just running on air. We need to find better shelter and food soon,” Master Qui-Gon pointed out.

“What do you suggest?” Satine turned to Fett rather than Master Qui-Gon. Since this whole mess had started, she had generally turned to Master Qui-Gon for guidance and decision-making. Obi-Wan wondered if this wouldn't wound his Master a bit.

Obi-Wan had learned to love his Master as a mentor and parent over their years working together. But as a man who was getting close to his 18th life day, Obi-Wan knew he was growing up, and as he did, he'd begun to see the places where his Master wasn't as perfect as the image the man tried to project.

The alpha eyed them all seriously. “Have any of you ever worked as a farmhand?”

***

The farm Fett lead them to was only an hour and a half hour walk, southeast from Fett's. It had been a bit of a back-track towards the area where they'd last been seen by Death Watch. But rather than leading them back down the road, the man had led them through the fields. The tall flora hid their presence well. Close to the end of their journey, they waded across a shallow river and up a hill. 

They came up behind the farmhouse, and Fett led them up to a side door that entered into what looked like a bright kitchen.

It was getting close to midday when Fett stepped up to knocked quietly on the transparent plasti door, and the wondrous scent of cooking meat and vegetables wafted out of the house.

A small round woman with dark hair, olive skin, and clear, blue eyes came to the door.

“Jango?” The woman said from behind the clear pane.

“Mrs. Syltt, I--” Jango nodded.

“None of that, Jango,” Her round cheeks curving into a smile and she opened the door, “You know you can call me Mi-Nah.”

Fett scowled in a way that made Obi-Wan think of little younglings back at the Temple, who were told by their Creche Master they had to eat their vegetables. He made sure to keep his face neutral in case the grumpy alpha noticed his glee. He had a feeling the alpha didn't like being teased that much.

Her eyes darted briefly to where Obi-Wan, Master Qui-Gon and Satine were standing on the path slightly behind Jango. “I'm guessing you're wanting to talk to my husband.”

“If he's around, I'd appreciate it.”

She nodded at him. “He should be on his way back from town, but all of you can come in and have something to eat as you wait.”

The kind woman showed them in to the kitchen and sat them at the table, serving them bowls of homemade stew.

The stew was full of root vegetables, a soft cooked red meat and was slightly spicy. To Obi-Wan, who hadn't eaten in a couple of days, it tasted like the most amazing food he'd ever had. The little rations they'd been able to bring with them from their ship hadn't lasted long, neither had any food they'd been able to scrounge or hunt during their travel across planet. At first they had moved away from their ship in search of help to repair their ship and communications, but as Death Watch had chased them, they had kept moving solely to stay ahead of the terrorist group. Which didn't give them a lot of opportunities to find food.

Whenever they could, both he and his Master had made sure that Satine was fed first, and instead the two Jedi had used the Force to supplement their physical energy. It didn't make an empty stomach any less comfortable though.

But the food had run out the day before they'd come upon Fett, so Satine also hadn't eaten in over a full day cycle, herself. Obi-Wan glanced over at her and was pleased to see she had a look of quiet happiness on her face, as she daintily ate her own helping of stew.

Fett was also eating a bowl. The man was loosely hugging the bowl to his chest. He was eating quickly, but efficiently, while regularly glancing up as if to check the positions of the other people at the table. It was almost as if he were worried someone would reach out and try to steal the bowl away from him.

Obi-Wan wondered exactly what had made him eat like that. He'd been through many difficult situations himself, where food was hard to come by. Like when he'd been leading the Young during the Melida/Daan civil war, or when he and his Master had crash landed on Phindar where a criminal syndicate had been hording all the planet's food and resources. Then there had been that failed mission to Telos where they'd been stranded on planet for almost a week afterwards, and the short fuel stop on Junction V, which ended up lasting a week when they uncovered a terrorist plot.

Really, most of the missions he'd been on with his Master had needed them to abstain from meals for one reason or another. And yet, he'd never felt the need to possessively hold his meals as tightly to his body as Fett was.

It made Obi-Wan feel deep swell of empathy for Fett. Something bad had obviously happened to the man. 

And it wasn't just how he held his food that made Obi-Wan think that. His appearance and demeanour when they'd first come upon him had been rough. His Force presence had felt full of desperation, sorrow and anger. Then there was the mystery that was the farm Fett claimed was his, but obviously hadn't been lived in or worked on in at least a decade.

There was also the fact that Fett helped them, even though he owed them nothing. If anything they owed him, and yet he still helped. Fett had still brought them to talk with his friends at risk to both himself and his friends.

If Death Watch found them, it could mean death to all of them, and yet Fett seemed determined to help. For reasons that were still unclear to Obi-Wan and his Master too, if how his Master had been studying Fett over the past day indicated anything.

***

Not long after they'd all had seconds of the amazing stew Mrs. Syltt had served them, someone approached the kitchen door from the outside and walked in.

A short, well-built, dark-haired man stopped just inside the door to look around at the strangers at his kitchen table. “Mi-Nah,” he said in a quiet, authoritative way, “Everything alright?”

The woman smiled over at him, “Jai, Jango is here with some friends. He would like to speak with you.” She motioned the man to the table and went to the stove to get him a bowl of stew.

“Syltt,” Jango made to respectfully stand up.

The man motioned for him to sit back down. “Fett,” the man said not unkindly, quirking an eyebrow. “We haven't seen you in almost 2 standard weeks. The community had thought you'd left planet again.”

Fett blinked, looking almost... embarrassed? “I needed some time.”

The man nodded in understanding, and Obi-Wan was wondering what exactly _wasn't_ being said by the two men.

Fett looked away and shook his head, as if shaking off a thought. “ _Bantov_ ,” he shrugged one shoulder. “ _Kyr'tsad_ has been active again in the area.”

Mr. Syltt nodded, an intense look in his eyes. “I've been getting reports of sightings and skirmishes. My squad and I have been taking turns to look into them, but most of the time the _Kyr'tsad_ have fled by the time any of us can arrive.”

“And do you know the reason why?” Fett's eyes glittered with some unnamed emotion.

Syltt narrowed his eyes at Fett and then glanced over at Obi-Wan, Master Jinn and Satine. The man opened his mouth to respond, but Fett cut him off.

“This is Kryze's daughter,” Fett motioned at Satine with his head.

Surprise and confusion crossed Syltt's face. “Ah.”

He turned to look intently at Satine, studying her features carefully.

Obi-Wan could tell that Satine felt a little unnerved by the man's scrutiny, but was trying to keep her expression neutral. She did, however give one dirty glance to Fett after he'd revealed her identity so casually to a stranger.

“They're going to need your help to keep her presence on Concord Dawn a secret while the Kryze's forces are fighting Death Watch in the capital.” 

“You know I will help however I can, Jango,” the man's face softened, “If it's _you_ who is asking.”

Satine glanced between the two in what seemed like confusion. Obi-Wan couldn't blame her, he was equally lost.

There was something there, another conversation that was happening beneath the surface. Obi-Wan could tell in the Force that Syltt easily commanded both power and responsibility, and yet Syltt looked to Fett with a decent amount of respect and a little bit of reverence.

Fett gave a jerking nod of agreement, “It is me who's asking.”

The man nodded slowly. “Alright then.” He turned his head to look at the three of them. “Any of you ever taken care of animals or crops before?”

***

In the end, Syltt had suggested that three of them could stay on and work as farm hands.

“We'll have to get you different clothes,” Syltt reached over and pinched the sleeve of Obi-Wan's cloak between his fingers, feeling the material. “You two look like Jedi.”

Obi-Wan jerked his arm away uncomfortably, “We are Jedi, we're the Jedi the team assigned to protect Duchess Kryze.”

Syltt shot Fett a confused look. “You're alright with _jetiise_ being here?”

Fett shrugged and looked away, “Kyr'tsad is what matters right now.”

Syltt cupped his chin in consideration for a long moment before nodding, hesitantly. “Alright, but I still only have room for three workers.”

Fett shrugged, “That's fine. The three of them will stay and I will--”

“No,” Syltt had shaken his head. “It was your idea, Jango, you can stay and take care of the two _aruetiise_ ,” Syltt pointed at Obi-Wan and Satine. “You, _jetii_ ,” the man pointed at Master Qui-Gon, “My friend down the road needs an occasional worker. He will have enough room to house you. I can only afford to pay three workers, and only have two rooms here.”

Obi-Wan and Satine both looked to Master Qui-Gon to see what he would say, he was after all the lead Jedi assigned.

Master Qui-Gon frowned, “Surely I can stay in the barn or something, and you don't need to pay me.”

Syltt frowned and shook his head, “That would look too suspicious. As a group, you just look too unusual together. Two young lovers coming here to look for work is a fine enough. And Jango looks enough like us to be named as family without arousing any gossip or the Death Watch's suspicions. If my friend down the road also happened to have a wanderer come by to pick up some part-time work, then it wouldn't spark as much interest.”

Master Qui-Gon sighed and folded his arms, as if unhappy, but didn't seem to be willing to pick a fight over the matter.

“Syltt,” Fett growled, “I'm not about to stick around here to do farm work. I have my own land to get back to.”

“Jango your presence in the area has already been drawing some interest. We don't need you back there, helping the _Kyr'tsad_ remember exactly what they did in this area almost twenty years ago. It would be best if you tried to blend in as well. It's just as well that our son left the system two seasons ago to attend Corellia University. You look enough alike that most in the area will assume you're him from a distance.” Syltt looked over to Mi-Nah with a smile of pride, then turned back to Fett, expression turning unimpressed. “But you'll have to cut that awful hair. It's like you haven't seen a pair of sheers in years.”

Fett narrowed his eyes and folded his arms in protest.

The woman, who had been standing off to the side listening to the whole conversation quietly, chimed in. “We would be honoured if you would stay with us as part of our _aliit_ , Jango.”

Fett sighed, his expression indicating he was giving in and trying to look upset over the situation. But Obi-Wan could sense the alpha felt a little pleased. Whether it was the situation or the couple's words, he couldn't tell.

***

After finishing his lunch, Syltt took Fett out to the barn to show him what he needed done for the day. He mentioned when he was finished he'd be back to take Master Qui-Gon to introduce to his friend. Obi-Wan suspected that the reason Syltt and Fett had left was to finish the implied other half of that conversation in private.

“Obi-Wan,” Master Qui-Gon had said after the two men had left, “While I'm away, Satine's protection and care will fall to you.”

Satine huffed behind him. She'd argued with them on and off over the last two weeks that they'd spent with her over their protection. She had insisted that she could take care of herself, even while still accepting their presence.

“Of course, Master,” Obi-Wan said quietly, desperately wanting to crowd into the older man's space for an embrace. Who knew when they'd be seeing each other again.

Mi-Nah cupped one hand around Satine's arm gently, “Come dear, let me show you what room you'll be sleeping in, and we can see if we can find some work clothes that will fit you.”

Master Qui-Gon watched the two women walk deeper into the house over Obi-Wan's shoulder. When they'd left he turned back to his apprentice. “I'm beginning to sense this assignment is going to last a lot longer than we'd hoped.”

Obi-Wan nodded, “I sense it too, Master.”

Master Qui-Gon gave him an intense look and put his hand out to grip Obi-Wan's shoulder. “Any time I have not working on this other farm, I'll see what I can do about fixing the encrypted communications device. I have a little money left from our mission budget. You need to keep yourself vigilant to the movements of the Force and possible danger. I'm not quite sure yet what motivations these people have, but for the moment, they seem to be keen enough in helping us and it would be to the benefit of the Mandalorian people that we keep it that way.”

“Yes, Master.”

The both of them could sense the two men walking back towards the house from the barn. “Oh and Obi-Wan,” his Master smiled down at him.

“Yes?”

“Find a way to keep up your katas, while I'm not here to train you. And for Force's sake, use your common sense and don't get yourself into any compromising situations with the Duchess.”

Obi-Wan blushed, his Master had obviously felt his attraction to Satine, over their bond, over the past couple weeks. He wondered if his Master really knew that he wasn't necessarily physically attracted to Satine, but to her mind and her determination to do what she felt was right.

Obi-Wan was honestly surprised that his Master hadn't noticed or remarked on Obi-Wan's physical attraction to Jango Fett, too. There was something very visceral and physical about the alpha. But maybe with all of the rushed events of the day, he hadn't noticed. Besides, physical attraction aside, he wasn't sure he could fully trust the alpha yet.

The door opened and the two men walked in.

“Ready to go, Jinn?” Syltt asked.

His Master turned his head to nod once at Syltt and squeezed Obi-Wan's shoulder one last time, in a modicum of reassurance.

“If anything happens Obi-Wan, you know you can contact me through our bond.” Master Qui-Gon smiled once and then turned away to follow the farmer out the door.

“Be safe, Master,” Obi-Wan said as the man left, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Fett had jerked his head in distress over the statement. Obi-Wan wondered what that meant. “May the Force be with you.”

But there was little time to think, because then Mi-Nah was came back in the kitchen as the outside door closed, and offered to show the two of them to the room they'd be sharing.

And of course the two of them would be sharing a room. _Great,_ Obi-Wan thought. It might have been a lot easier to share with Satine, despite their mild attraction. 

***

The three guests settled in and were able to find work clothes that somewhat fit before being shown around the farm by Mi-Nah.

Syltt had left instructions with Fett that his herd of eopie needed to be fed, and their stables needed to be mucked out. So after Mi-Nah showed them where the feed and tools were, she headed back to the farmhouse and the three of them got started.

Fett had them all mucking out the stalls with shovels first, and Obi-Wan almost cackled at the sour look on Satine's face, as she picked up her first stinky shovel-full.

Obi-Wan was no stranger to hard work, though rarely was it this smelly. But Obi-Wan was much better at hiding his disgust than Satine, and was able to get to work without making any faces.

Fett went about his work with a quiet intensity that left no clues as to his feelings on the matter. Obi-Wan hadn't noticed any animals on the farm where they'd met him, so he had no idea if the alpha enjoyed or loathed the work.

About twenty minutes into their work, Satine's pinched look had finally smoothed over. Or it had, until she turned too suddenly and slipped on the dirty floor and fell onto her butt.

Obi-Wan graciously moved over to help her up, biting his lip to hide his smile. Poor Satine's leggins had suffered the worst from her fall and were covered in excrement, but she quickly got back to work, all the while cursing the animals and their poop.

Fett stopped to lean on his shovel, looking her over with discerning eyes. “You need to move with smaller steps, like when you walk on ice.”

Satine frowned at Fett, “Mandalore doesn't get cold enough for ice to form outside.”

“Well you're not on Mandalore anymore. Concord Dawn's rotation is further from our system's star, and has more varied seasons.”

Satine stared at him for a moment, “Does that mean... We'll get to see snow?”

Fett gave a small huff of amusement. “Yes, you'll see snow here. You'll be right sick of it before spring comes again.”

With that quiet declaration, Fett got back to work and by the time they'd finished their tasks, the sun had started to set, and Syltt had returned to the farm.

Syltt looked into the barn and nodded at the three, where they were brushing down the now eating eopies. “Looks good, let's head into the house for a wash and then dinner.”

***

Satine claimed the first shower, but Obi-Wan was fine with that, as long as he _got_ a shower. It had been a long while since he'd had a shower, sonic or water, and he was beginning to get pretty ripe.

The subsequent shower, dinner provided by the lovely Mi-Nah, and soft bunk they'd been provided made the day the best one Obi-Wan had had in weeks.

As he drifted off to sleep that night, Obi-Wan wondered if they'd be on the farm long enough for him to worry about getting his next suppressant implant. He usually opted for an implant that regulated his hormones for a year before it needed to be changed out for a new one. His current implant was only a few months old, so hopefully they'd be off this rock way before he needed to worry, but something in the Force told him not to get his hopes up.

If he ended up needing a new one, he'd need to make sure he got it within three day cycles of this one finishing, or he'd be forced to go through a heat. The trick was to notice the waning signs of hormone depletion, and then get the next one before his body started to regulate back to that of a child-bearing omega.

Most core planets carried similar implants in local apothecaries, so he hoped that if he needed one, he could find one here as well.

He'd been pretty careful with his cycles since he'd had his first heat at 12, just before leaving the Jedi temple for Bandomeer. The experience had been incredibly miserable, and he had no desire to ever experience a heat again.

Obi-Wan drifted off to the sound of Fett's snoring, while his brain tried to compare what he remembered of this planets season cycle to the approximate date he'd need to get a new implant.

Hopefully they'd be long gone by then.

***

The next few days saw the three new farm hands to settle into a routine. Obi-Wan would wake up before Fett, dress quietly and head outside to practice his stretches and katas. He'd started practising with a shovel, after Syltt had seen him with his lightsaber on the the first day and worried anyone travelling by the farm might see or hear it.

He would finish when either Mi-Nah or Mr. Syltt (who told Obi-Wan to call him Jai) called him in for breakfast. Once they'd all eaten, Obi-Wan, Satine and Fett would head off to work on some of the various chores Jai needed done, mostly taking care of the farm's livestock.

Apparently with their son gone off-world to school, and their most recent farmhand leaving to visit his family, the couple had struggled to get all the work they needed done around the farm. Having the three young adults around meant that Jai had more time to work with his squad and track the movements of Death Watch and local thugs hired to create chaos for Death Watch.

So while the three completed chores every morning, Jai would head into town to check in with his squad and complete their rounds. From the brief comments Jai had made to Jango and Mi-Nah, Obi-Wan gathered he was the leader of a group of local protectors, though it was unclear whether they were an enlisted or volunteer law-enforcement force.

What was clear was that Obi-Wan hadn't gained Jai's complete trust yet. Hopefully as he continued to work on Jai's farm, the man would feel more comfortable to use his position as a protector to inform them about Death Watch's movements. The idea was a bit relieving, as being responsible for Satine's safety without his Master around was more stressful than he thought it would be. And hopefully more knowledge would help him feel more relaxed and enjoy the farm work more.

And it was kind of enjoyable. There was something a bit freeing about doing physical labour and being allowed to shut off his mind as he used his body for hard, honest work. It made him wonder if maybe he would have enjoyed a stint in Agricorps more than he thought he would. At the tender age of 13, he'd thought the prospect of being a farmer would have meant a life of misery and regret, and he'd been so grateful when Master Qui-Gon had finally accepted his apprenticeship.

But maybe that wouldn't have been so bad...

Once they finished their morning chores, the trio would have lunch with Mi-Nah. Most days Jai would return just as they were finishing and Satine would then stay to help Mi-Nah in the house, while Obi-Wan and Fett would leave to do more work around the farm. 

It was during the afternoons that Obi-Wan began getting to know the reserved alpha more. It seemed that when it was just Obi-Wan there, Fett still didn't talk much, but every once and a while, Obi-Wan was able to get him to open up a little bit more.

As of yet though, Fett had refused to call Obi-Wan by his given name, and had not offered his own for Obi-Wan to use in return.

But on their fourth day on the farm, Obi-Wan learned his first clue to Fett's personal history. After lunch, the two men started work on helping Jai expand his irrigation system into another field. Jai had been hoping to plant a new crop the following spring that needed more regulated watering than the current dry crop he was growing.

First, Jai used an industrial digger to create a ditch for the irrigation pipes, then Obi-Wan and Fett would bring each heavy durasteel pipes and lay them into the newly dug trench. After all the pipes were laid, they would solder the pipes and joints together to create a watertight path for the irrigation sprinklers to hook into. Once the system was connected correctly and tested, they would bury the pipes to protect them from the elements and make the field more level for ploughing in the spring. 

The two of them were carrying a connecting pipe when Obi-Wan was finally able to get Fett talking. He'd been chattering nervously about Concord Dawn's fauna for the past hour of their work and Obi-Wan wasn't sure if Fett was actually listening or just letting him talk to fill the silence. There was something about the alpha's presence that made Obi-Wan a bit nervous, and he couldn't put his finger on why that was.

“I'm actually kind of surprised not to see any native animals domesticated in this area--”

“That's because there isn't any animals native to Concord Dawn that would be useful as livestock.” Fett cut him off, speaking for the first time in the last few hours. The man seemed to be quite good at communicating solely using head tilts and grunts. 

“Oh?” Obi-Wan cocked his head, making eye contact across the pipe they were carrying.

Fett rolled his eyes, “There aren't any large animals native to this planet. There are birds and fish and rodents and small predators that are cousins of the domestic lothcat, but nothing bigger than that.”

Obi-Wan was quiet for a moment, trying to remember all the animals he had seen in the last three standard weeks. That sounded about on line with the animals he'd observed, but he hadn't exactly seen a lot of the planet. “I didn't think that you...”

“Would know anything about the planet? I grew up here, you know,” Fett scoffed.

“What about in the ocean? There must be larger invertebrates or vertebrates in there.”

“Concord Dawn doesn't have any oceans above ground, and anything below ground doesn't support life because of huge seasonal temperature changes.”

“What about the large one on the northern tip of the planet. I saw it as we were crash landing.”

“You must mean the polar ice cap. It does look quite blue from space. The frigid ecosystem up there supports some of the largest birds on the planet. Snow Hawks are about twice the size of a domesticated lothcat, and eat anything they can get their hands on. Not many plants can survive in that climate, and the ones that can are food sources for small rodents and birds that in turn are food for the Snow Hawks. Snow Hawks are very rare though, and very good at camouflage.”

It was the most Obi-Wan had ever heard Fett talk at once, and Obi-Wan was surprised it had been about something as mundane as the planet's fauna.

“They're very rarely seen,” Fett continued. “The indigenous population of Concord Dawn considered someone blessed if they ever saw one. Of course, people don't really travel up there any more.”

Fett shrugged with one shoulder as they approached the ditch. “But the most interesting bird on Concord Dawn are these small song birds about half the size of my palm.” They laid the pipe into place and Fett held up his hand to emphasize the birds' size. “They're bright green and feast on the nectar of the _yustapir sarad_ as they open in the morning.” He fell silent again as they made their way back to the entrance of the field to get another pipe.

They heaved the heavy pipe between them and began the journey back towards the ditch. The silence between them didn't feel heavy or awkward anymore, and Obi-Wan felt content to let it simmer.

“My mother,” Fett suddenly said in a very quiet voice. So quiet that Obi-Wan wouldn't have heard him if they'd been standing any further apart. “She loved their songs. _Yustapir sarad_ grew in the stream by our house, and in the mornings she would take me down to the stream to watch them land on the blossoms, singing as they did. _Sarad senaar_ , she called them, _blossom larks_.” Obi-Wan heard Fett's throat work, as if it was suddenly dry. “I always preferred the bright red colours of the _yustapir sarad_ in the morning light, but she loved the _sarad senaar_ 's songs.”

“What are _yustapir sarad_ 's?” Obi-Wan asked quietly, worried about breaking the stillness that stretched between him and his companion.

Fett startled, looked over at Obi-Wan, then away, gazing out over the field. “Lotus flowers.”

The two laid the next piece of pipe in silence.

***

“I'm sorry about earlier. I meant no offence, you know,” Obi-Wan whispered into the dark, later that night, as the two men laid in their bunks.

Fett grunted at him, as if asking him to explain.

“When I said I didn't think you would know information about animals. It's not that I think you're unintelligent Fett. I just get this feeling when I'm around you, that you've spent a long time off world.”

Fett was quiet for a while, and Obi-Wan wondered if he'd fallen asleep. “You can call me Jango, you know.”

Obi-Wan smiled into his pillow. “I'm sorry, Jango, for assuming.”

“It's forgiven, Obi-Wan. Now go to sleep.”

Obi-Wan listened to Jango roll over in the bunk below him, and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

***

On the fifth afternoon, Obi-Wan and Jango returned to the field to try to finish laying the rest of the pipe. Jai was away from the farm, looking into some new reports on Death Watch sightings, so it was just the two of them.

Obi-Wan was surprised when Jango asked him about his morning exercises.

“Oh, they're katas I practice to keep my lightsaber form in shape.”

At Jango's raised eyebrow, Obi-Wan continued.

“Without another Jedi to spar with, my body and mind can get out of shape quickly. Using and fighting with a lightsaber requires strength in specific muscles and good muscle memory. The katas I perform help strengthen those muscles and keep my form in shape.”

“Would it help, if you had someone to spar with?”

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise as they moved back for another pipe. “Of course.”

“Does it have to be another _jetii_?”

“No, but it's usually a more intensive workout if I spar with another Jedi.”

Jango's smile made Obi-Wan feel a bit on edge. “I would like to join you one of these mornings. For a friendly spar.”

“Alright,” Obi-Wan answered hesitantly. After all, what could it hurt?

***

Their spar would have to wait though, because on the sixth day, Jango quietly announced at breakfast that he would be going into town with Jai.

“Does this have to do with the Death Watch sightings?” Obi-Wan asked in concern, glad that Satine hadn't yet made it to the breakfast table.

“Possibly,” was all Jango answered.

By the time Satine came into the room and sat down at the table, Jai and Jango had left.

Obi-Wan couldn't ignore the bad feeling that built in his gut as him and Satine started their morning chores. Though he wasn't sure what it meant, or if he could do anything about it. So he pushed away his anxieties and tried to focus on the now, just as Master Qui-Gon had taught him.

***

With no one to help him finish laying the last few irrigation pipes, and unsure of how to start the soldering, Obi-Wan hung around the farmhouse for most of the afternoon, trying to help out Mi-Nah and Satine. After an hour of getting in their way, Mi-Nah shewed him out of the house, instead showing him where Jai kept his tools that he used to fix fences.

“One of the fences that borders the river,” she pointed northwest, towards where he, Satine, Master Qui-Gon and Jango had entered the property just over a week earlier. “It needs to be repaired. Jai even took some boards down there to work on it last week, but then he was called away on Journeymen business.”

“Journeymen?” The title sounded vaguely familiar to Obi-Wan.

“Journeymen Protectors are the law enforcement agency that keep the peace on this planet. Jai runs one of the Journeyman squads here in the Grain district, just as Jango's father did before him,” Mi-Nah waved the explanation away, as if she was explaining something he already knew. “If you can get started on that fence, Sassy and I can get started on making dinner.”

Obi-Wan nodded with a smile. He was glad that Satine had settled in the household, and found a people that were happy to accept and help protect her. He shouldn't have been surprised that the rambunctious farmer's wife and Satine had taken to each other, but for some reason he was. He knew that if he were to call Satine _Sassy_ though, she would kick his ass.

***

It didn't take Obi-Wan that long to fix the fence, since only a few boards were damaged.

Not wanting to go back to the farmhouse quiet yet, Obi-Wan found a downed log to sit on and put his feet in the river. The water was clear, cold and fast flowing.

The wind whistled through the sparse trees and thick bushes that lined the river, and birds sang in the distance.

Obi-Wan wondered if any of them were _sarad senaar_. He wondered that if Jango were here, if maybe the alpha would have been persuaded to point them out. Or maybe he would tell Obi-Wan about some of the other birds that flew from bush to bush, eating the late summer berries the plants boasted.

This area was beautiful and quiet in a way that soothed his mind. It wasn't often that Obi-Wan got moments like this, where nothing demanded his attention. No mission, master or school work that required his attention. He let him sink into the Living Force that was pervasive in the area, just as his Master had taught him.

He'd always been more in tune with the Unifying Force, but in such a rich and growing place like this, it was easy to feel the Living Force around him.

Time fell away, and Obi-Wan enjoyed floating on the currents of Force that seemed to sweep through the river valley on the wind.

A sudden and tremulous warning from the Force shot through him, and he jumped to his feet. But the area around him hadn't changed. There were no lifeforms close, besides the birds, nothing that seemed dangerous. But the Force was blaring at him to move, _screaming_ at him to leave.

He took one last look at his surroundings, at the trees and bushes darkening in the setting sun, at the vibrant purple flowers lining the bank that had opened in the late day sun. The only thing that had changed was the direction of the wind, bringing the scent of the growing trees and ripe flowers to his nose.

And though nothing seemed outwardly wrong, Obi-Wan wasn't one to ignore warnings from the Force. So after grabbing his boots, Obi-Wan headed up the bank at a run.

Still the Force blared, telling him to get to the farmhouse immediately.

The warning scared Obi-Wan, and he wondered if Satine was in danger. But the warning almost felt like, _he_ was in danger.

He raced towards the house, his throat felt tight and his vision was beginning to blur.

***

Through the kitchen window, Satine watched as Obi-Wan dashed up to the house, dropping his boots on the porch beside the door, and swept inside. The young man's feet were bare, and he seemed completely oblivious to the muddy footprints he was tracking inside.

“Obi-Wan?” Satine called to him from where she and Mi-Nah had been washing dishes together at the sink. The happy chattering atmosphere of the last few minutes suddenly felt cold. “What's wrong?”

Obi-Wan bent over, grabbing his knees and panting. “I don't know, only I felt--” Obi-Wan paused.

Why would Obi-Wan be panting? Satine knew that his training as a Padawan kept him in great shape, he shouldn't be panting like that, after running the short distance from the river. Just a week ago, she'd seen him take out two Death Watch soldiers and not even break a sweat.

“I don't... I don't feel so good,” Obi-Wan groaned and gave into the urge to sit down on the cool floor.

“Obi-Wan!” Satine cried, and the two women crowed in on him.

“What happened, child?” Mi-Nah asked, feeling his head, as if that could answer her question.

“I don't know... I don't... I was sitting by the river, and then suddenly I needed to leave, I...” the blood drained from Obi-Wan's face, he leaned forward and began to cough, violently.

It was as if his body was trying to expel it's own lungs. His coughs were so intense, that he ended up vomiting onto the cool duracrete floor.

“My eyes hurt,” Obi-Wan moaned, leaning forward as if to lie down in his own vomit.

Satine and Mi-Nah grabbed him and helped him move so he was laying on a patch of clean floor.

“Your eyes?” Mi-Nah said a dawning realization growing in her eyes. She looked up at Satine, who was shaking her head in confusion. “Did you smell anything before you started to feel ill?”

“Flowers and trees,” Obi-Wan croaked from his supine position.

“Oh sweet _Manda_ in the sky,” Mi-Nah cursed under her breath.

“What is it?” Satine asked, fearful for her friend.

“Karatos,” the woman responded with dread.

“As in the Karatos _Plague_?!” Satine yelped in shock.

“It spreads in the spores from certain plants that have contact with diseased rodents,” Mi-Nah said mournfully. “There's no cure. Only inoculations beforehand can help the body fight it's effects. Most go blind within the hour and die a few hours later.” Mi-Nah got up from position on the floor beside Obi-Wan.

Satine's mind was reeling, “Where are you going?” She asked the motherly woman, not wanting to be left alone with her dying friend. Friend. When they'd first been stranded on this planet together, there had been something between them, and she'd wondered if that would become something more. Maybe now she would never know.

“To get him a pillow to make him comfortable, and some medicine to dull the pain,” the woman said sadly, and left.

Satine gaped at the empty doorway and then looked down at her friend, who was beginning to wheeze. There was something at the back of her brain, something that was tickling the edges of her consciousness.

When they'd been on the run, during those first couple of weeks before they'd happened onto Jango Fett's farm, they'd been short on rations. They had some clean water, but not enough for all three of them, especially not long term. Master Jinn and Obi-Wan had been drinking from any source of running water they could find.

When she had expressed concerns that it would make them sick, they had explained to her that they could filter out contaminants through the Force. The process took some concentration, but they could drink the water and not be sick.

“Obi-Wan,” She leaned down into his space, “You need to use the Force.”

Obi-Wan blinked up at her in confusion, his eyes blank.

“Just like when you drank that water and filtered it using the Force, you need to do that with your lungs right _now_!”

He coughed, “I... I'll try.”

“Don't try, do it!”

Obi-Wan chuckled weakly, “Yes, Master Yoda.”

Satine had no idea what he meant, but his expression closed off in the same way it did whenever she noticed he was using the Force.

Mi-Nah came back into the room with a pillow and a bottle of pain reliever. “It won't help much, but--”

“Do you have a way of contacting your friend that has taken in Master Jinn?!” Satine cut her off.

“Yes, but--”

“You need to contact them and get his Master here, _now_!”

“Sassy, Obi-Wan might be dead by the time he gets here.”

“He won't be, you have no idea the amazing things the Jedi can do with their Force.”

Mi-Nah's brow was wrinkled in confusion, but she got up to make the call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks so much for reading, please let me know what you think in the comments! Comments are what keep me motivated as a writer :)
> 
> Side note 3: Yes, Karatos Plague is an actual virus in the SW Legends universe, that is found on Concord Dawn. It's carried in the air on spores and kills it's host within hours.
> 
> Next next chapter: Qui-Gon goes looking for trouble and is surprised when he finds it and is then saved from it. Jango is at first annoyed, then suddenly scared and furious at the same time. Jango's caretaking nature is exposed. Obi-Wan is hashtag hurt and needs a hug. Satine learns about sacrifice.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Peeps, I have SO much to say but I'm going to try to keep this short. Sorry this isn't going up when I'd originally planned, but I started back at work about a week earlier than originally expected and the whole thing has been... difficult. The first day back I was accused of something untrue by a coworker and that ended up being an emotionally stressful and draining situation. I've been kind of on edge ever since. I know a lot of tensions are running high with everyone here going back to work after Covid, but my gosh, it made me question wanting to work in my profession at all. Very frustrating and upsetting, so I haven't been writing much. Hope y'all are staying safe and sane out there!!
> 
> Also, I have done a small edit on Chapter 3, although you do not need to reread it. The only noticeable change I made was the (solar) system's name (since I now know Concord Dawn is in the Mandalore _sector_ , but not system Mandalore, lol more on this another time, if needed). Apologies for all the mistakes I make, I have no beta for SW fandom, so thanks for your patience! :)
> 
>  **Lastly!** It's not mentioned in this chapter, _but_ between chapter 2 and 3, Jango cut his hair back to the military-type hairdo he has in AotC. I thought this might be a nice thing for y'all to know, if you're still picturing him walking around talking to everyone with the beard and over-grown hair.
> 
> BUT I loved that image of him so much, that doodled a picture of Jango from Chapter 2 this week, that image really stuck in my mind, especially with all the lovely comments some peeps made about Jango's rough appearance in Chapter 2. Thought I'd share, so hopefully y'all enjoy it. <('^-^)

Visual for Jango in Chapter 1 & 2 only:

* * *

Translations:  
_aruetiise_ : Outsiders, foreigners, plural  
_Haat Mando'ade_ : lit. True Mandalorians, from haat meaning true, and Mando'ade meaning people/children of Mandalore  
_jetii_ : Jedi, singular  
_jetiise_ : Jedi, plural  
_Manda'yaim_ : The planet Mandalore  
_'alor_ : leader, in this sense kind of used like you would say “sir” to a military leader.  
_buir_ : parent  
_beskar'gam_ : armour. Literally “iron skin”  
_beskar_ : also known as Mandalorian steel, is an alloy used in Mandalorian armour with high tolerance to damage, especially notable for withstanding direct blaster shots and repelling lightsaber strikes.  
_vod_ : brother/sister  
_buy'ce_ : helmet/bucket  
_beskar_ : Mandalorian iron  
_Resol'nare_ : the Six Actions, or basic tenants/commitments of Mandalorian life. They include: wearing armour, speaking the language (Mando'a), defending oneself and family, raising your children as Mandalorians, contributing to the clan's welfare, and when called upon by the Mand'alor rallying to their cause.  
_Mando'a_ : the language spoken by the Mandalorian people.  
_Manda_ : the collective soul or heaven; the state of being Mandalorian in mind, body, and spirit  
_hut'uune_ : cowards  
_Kyr'tsad_ : Death Watch  
Supercommandos/commandos: elite Mandalorian warriors. From what I understand, both the True Mandalorians and Death Watch both have/had forces that were considered supercommandos. But you don't have to be a supercommando to be part of True Mandalorian or Death Watch.  
_Mand'alor_ the leader of the Mandalorians. Usually this title is reserved for the leader of the the True Mandalorians, as it is a traditional title. In _this_ AU the leader of Death Watch could also claim this title, especially if there isn't anyone to challenge them from the True Mandalorians, as Death Watch does follow their own version of the Resol'nare.  
_Vor'e_ : thanks.

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

  


Jango and Jai headed into town early on the sixth day after Jango and the other two _aruetiise_ had begun working on the Syltt's farmstead.

Jai had privately confided in Jango about his worries of the rise of Death Watch and their presence in the area. The local protection force had found it difficult to keep up with the trouble Death Watch had been causing amongst the locals. Jango was surprised to learn that Jai was very interested to hear Jango's thoughts on the matter.

“I don't know how important or helpful my opinions would be,” he had replied, the night before.

The middle-aged farmer had studied Jango skeptically. “As far as I'm concerned, you are still our true _Mand'alor_ , Jango. No matter what that girl or her father do for our system, they aren't going to change that.”

“Not very many of our citizens feel the same way you do, Jai.”

“I think you'd be surprised on how many still keep the old ways and beliefs,” Jai had replied seriously. Then he changed the subject, maybe sensing how sore that topic was. “Come into the Journeyman office tomorrow, with me. It would be nice to have your opinion and expertise on the Death Watch movements, regardless.”

What else could Jango do but agree.

* * *

The Journeyman office was housed in a small building in the middle of town. It was staffed by two full-time administrators and six full-time lawmen-protectors. The rest of the force which boasted of 12 other protects were all volunteer Journeyman who made a pittance wage for their troubles. Instead each person had to find alternative means to supporting their families.

Jai was the leader of one of two volunteer squads that patrolled the district, as well as responded to any calls that the lawmen on shift couldn't handle.

The two squads, plus the six lawmen, the Lieutenant Constable and the Overseer Constable were gathered around a large holotable when the two of them arrived.

“Syltt,” The Overseer Constable nodded to Jai as they came in, then he turned to give Jango a searching look. “Mr. Fett, please come in, we're about to get started.”

The Constable went over any new disturbances or notices on the routes the two volunteer squads covered. There were 6 men in each squad, which separated into pairs to cover each designated route. Jai and his partner usually made their patrol early each morning, so as not to miss too much of the farming day. The other two pairs in his unit covered their area during their own arranged times, each squad only deviating from routine when absolutely needed.

“We're going to need each pair to start making their round twice a day with the increased presence of Death Watch in the area. Be vigilant if you come upon any of their group. We cannot detain them, beyond loitering, unless they are caught breaking the law. But be firm with any you meet that they need to move on from the area unless they have business here they are willing to go on public record about.”

“That doesn't stop the problem of Death Watch on Concord Dawn, it just pushes them into someone else's jurisdiction,” Jai cut in.

The Constable sighed, “You know, as well as we all do that we can only do what we have the ability to. If they aren't causing mayhem or violence, there's not much we can do to stop their presence on planet.”

“And have they?” Jango piped up, braking his silence, “Become violent?” He hated Death Watch with a passion. All they seemed to care about was violence and power. But Jango was honest in admitting he didn't know how they interacted with the general population on planets other than Manda'yaim. They'd always had issues with the _Haat Mando'ade_ , and attacked them without mercy, but he wasn't sure how they affected the average Mandalorian's daily life.

“In the past six months we've seen a rise in small skirmishes and assaults reported by locals,” The Constable admitted.

“And is this true for just your district? Or is that in keeping with the rest of the planet?” Jango asked. The Grain District was one of the lesser populated areas on the planet. If Death Watch had been much more prevalent in this district, then Obi-Wan and the Duchess were going to have to be more careful than Jango had first realized. From what he'd heard from Jai, who had his ear to the proverbial ground in the community, Death Watch hadn't quite figured out what district the Duchess was hiding in. And any of the Death Watch who had seen their group and knew who they were, had hopefully been dispatched by the _Jetiise_ before they'd met up with Jango.

The Constable shook his head, “The other Overseer Constables I've talked with seem to be seeing the same rise in the presence of Death Watch. The only real notable exception is that Death Watch's numbers seem to have exploded in Fortuna, Concord Dawn's state capital.”

“Has there been any local outbursts or violence towards Death Watch?” Jango frowned, crossing his arms. It disgusted him to see his home planet invaded by the terrorists who had murdered both his adopted and biological families.

For a brief moment he considered gathering what Mandalorians he could, those still loyal to the _Haat Mando'ade_ to strike back at Death Watch. But that would hurt more people on Concord Dawn than it would help, if Death Watch were willing to leave the locals mostly alone.

And that was what Death Watch could never understand. Being a true warrior wasn't about fighting for the sake of fighting. It was fighting for a cause, to defend those who deserved and needed defending.

“Most of the locals have seemed too frightened to engage with Death Watch,” The Constable responded.

“Those that aren't afraid are waiting to see what will happen,” Jai said quietly.

“And what will it take to force those people's hand, to make them take up arms against Death Watch? It doesn't seem to be loss of life, because unless I am understanding wrong, there has already been blood shed by Death Watch.”

The Constable looked tired at Jango's statement. “We can't encourage the people to take up arms for past hurts.”

Jango shook his head, they were misunderstanding him. This wasn't about his parents or even about Jaster. “No, I'm talking about now, the present. You said there had been a rise in assaults reported by locals, from the increased presence of Death Watch.”

The Constable's shoulders sagged from where they'd been pulled up tight in agitation. “Luckily, there haven't been any fatalities or serious injuries as a result of the interactions of Death Watch and the citizens of Concord Dawn.”

“Why not?”

“What?” The Constable's bland face looked confused.

“Why haven't there been any fatalities?”

“They've mostly been using scare tactics.”

“Yes, but there has to be a reason. You,” Jango gestured to the 18 other men standing around the holotable. “All of you are very aware of tactics Death Watch uses to get what they want. Why aren't they using their usual tactics? They aren't afraid to take life, whether it be the lives of Mandalorians or not.”

The men around the table looked at each other in surprise, as if they hadn't considered this.

“So there's a reason their not causing their usual level of mayhem and violence?” The Lieutenant Constable asked.

Jango nodded slightly. “What do you think that is?”

The men were quiet, none of them daring to speak up.

“They must be looking for something on this planet.” Jango told them, “That's why the numbers have increased so much.”

“Jango,” Jai hissed and touched his elbow in warning.

But Jango ignored him. These men deserved to know something, even if not the full truth. “They are also fighting a war in Sundari. They don't have the forces to get involved in a conflict with the locals here. So they must be looking for something. You don't know what it is they're looking for, but that doesn't matter right now. Maybe it's more recruits, maybe it's resources, maybe it's artifacts or political figures. Whatever it is they haven't found it yet, or they would have left. So what matters is that they must be here for a reason other than starting a violent conflict on Concord Dawn.”

“So you think we should attack them?” The Constable asked him suspiciously. “Take the first strike? Send a message and try to send them away?”

“No,” Jango disagreed. “That would just bring the fight here. Concord Dawn isn't prepared for that.”

The men around the table relaxed, and Jango realized they had been worried that that was exactly what he'd been suggesting. He wondered how many of these men would have followed him into battle, despite knowing it would be a dangerous, lost cause.

“But I do think the citizens of Concord Dawn need to stick up for themselves if they feel they're in danger. Use self-defence to get out of any situation they find themselves in, and you need to be prepared to back them up. Most likely the Death Watch forces have been told not to engage on planet, which should keep fatalities to a minimum if any citizen does find themselves being attacked by Death Watch troops.

“But the most important thing we can do against Death Watch,” Jango continued, “Is to keep each other informed. Informed of their movements in our district, as well as their movements in other districts. Right now the fight is not ours to make, but if it does come to us, we will need all the advantages we can get. And one of the biggest advantages we can have is information about them.”

The Constable nodded. “What ideas do you have in mind, _'alor_?”

The title made a tingle go down Jango's spine. He wasn't sure if it was a good or bad tingle.

All he knew was that this was change.

* * *

Jango came out of that meeting feeling both surprised at how easily he'd slipped into the role of leadership and how confident he felt telling men his senior in many years, what to do.

And not only had he told them, they had _listened_. Jango hadn't led anyone, for any reason, in over three years. He should have felt awkward and clumsy when addressing all those men. Instead it had felt _right_.

Jaster had trained him to be his protege, to replace him as the leader of the _Haat Mando'ade_ when he was gone. Then when it had happened in the heat of battle, Jango hadn't thought much of it. He'd easily slipped into leading his people, his adopted family. And Jango had continued to lead them after the battle had been won... At least until he lead them into _that_ battle on Galidraan.

But in the years since his family had been murdered... in the years since he'd used used his previous leadership to lead his family into a slaughter, he'd let his insecurities tear him down. _He was a terrible leader_ , his insecurities whispered, even now, _he didn't deserve these new people's loyalty. These people were simple farmers that would be cut down if he led them into the wrong choice. He didn't deserve another chance._

He shook the thoughts aside. Maybe he didn't deserves it; and yet, this faction of Journeymen were giving him that chance. They were trusting _him_.

He wouldn't let them down, like he'd let his adopted family down.

Maybe that was why he hadn't even suggested fighting Death Watch. Maybe his previous failures had given him the caution he hadn't had before Galidraan. He'd needed caution then, but instead had to learned it the hard way; had to learn it with his family's lives.

All he hoped was that his instincts were right this time. That he was doing what these people needed, not just what _he_ wanted.

The door of the building opened behind him, and Jai walked out.

“You did a good job in there,” Jai told him with a smile, clapping him on the shoulder. “They're less afraid of Death Watch than they were before. There's a confident light in their eyes that has been missing for quite some time.”

Jango nodded, but didn't turn to make eye contact with the fatherly farmer. He looked out at the town's main street with unseeing eyes.

“But Jango,” Jai turned serious, “If the fight does come to Concord Dawn, they're going to need you to lead them through it.”

“How can you say that? You know how things ended on Galidraan.”

“You did the best you could in that situation. People have a higher opinion of you and your leadership than you realize. Much of what happened in Galidraan has become public knowledge, and those of us that still follow the old ways do not blame you for what happened. Hell, even Mereel wouldn't have seen that coming, it was a difficult situation.”

Jango clenched his fists, he wanted to protest the throw away comment Jai had made about his _buir_ , but he knew deep down that even Jaster could have been fooled by Galidraan's governor, like Jango had been. It had been the perfect trap, and they'd fallen in. After all, Jaster had died as a result of his own inability to see a trap Death Watch had lain. And Jango realistically knew Jaster wouldn't blame him for what had happened. That didn't mean Jango's insecurities were going to shut up about it.

“If there is a fight, Jango,” Jai continued slowly, giving Jango the opportunity to collect his emotions. “You're going to need _beskar'gam_.”

Jango looked sharply over at Jai in surprise. He hadn't thought about his armour since he'd woken up with a slave collar around his neck three years ago. He hadn't had a moment to. He wondered where it was, if it was even still functional, or if it was long gone.

“Why don't you go over to the smithy, while I head off on my morning patrol.”

Jai went back into the Journeyman office, and Jango took a deep breath before stepping down into the street and heading toward the town forge.

* * *

The smithy was quiet when Jango walked into it. The door was open, but there were only simmering embers in the forge, and no one was around to be seen.

“Hello?” Jango called into the empty, dark room.

A door on the back wall opened, and a tall, willowy woman walked out, her braided dark hair thick with soot. She was dressed in the simple tunic and legging style of the locals, but a lashing of leather tied her tunic back to keep it from getting close to a flame, while she was at the forge. Her forearms were covered in small healing burns and past scars from smelting metals on a full-burning forge.

“Can I help you, _vod_?” She asked, her voice thick with the accent of northern Concord Dawn. It was the same accent his mother had spoken with, and most locals too. The same accent he carried, despite the years away watering it down.

“I find myself in need of a new set of _beskar'gam_ ,” he said quietly, aware he had little money, definitely not enough to pay for that much work. “But I do not have the means to pay you at this moment.”

She eyed him up and down for a moment before taking out a flimsipad and pencil. “We can take a commission upfront, as long as you pay when you pick up the armour.” She began writing down information on the 'pad. “Are you looking for armour in the typical style of Mandalore? What kind of _buy'ce_ do you want?”

He was quiet for a moment. He'd gotten the impression that there was no sympathy to Death Watch in this area, at least from everyone he'd met in this area. And while he wasn't sure that _everyone_ felt sympathy or kinship with the _Haat Mando'ade_ , his instincts told him it was alright to express his true loyalties to these people. He only hoped this continued to hold true.

“I would like it to reflect the style of the _Haat Mando'ade_. Both in body armour and helmet.”

The middle-aged woman paused in her scribbling to look up at him. She took a couple steps closer to him and looked carefully at his face. “And the name I should put down on the order?”

“Jango Fett,” he said softly. Already the people in the area seemed to know he was here. He expected that was in part because Jai and Mi-Nah were well connected in the area.

It made him wonder what people were saying about him. Did they only think about him as the scrawny boy whose family had been murdered? Or did they know of him from his failed leadership attempts with the _Haat Mando'ade_? Some of them must know him from his broken wandering, during those weeks he had walked the planet, before he'd met the _jetiise_. Did they think him crazy? Broken? Alien to their way of life?

Compared to these people, he'd lived such a different life with Jaster and the _Haat Mando'ade_. With many of their clan had been stationed in a domed town on _Manda'yaim_ , they had spent so much time travelling the stars, working as mercenaries, training on distant moons, only to return to Mandalore occasionally. At one point he thought he'd always live like that. Maybe he'd find a woman or man he wanted by his side either on his ship, or in the the big communal home the _Haat Mando'ade_ owned on Mandalore; the house that Jaster had left to Jango.

Maybe the one he loved would stay there and wait for his return, helping him raise a half dozen children of their own, biological or adopted. He'd always wanted a big family. Children who could love one another and learn protect each other. Unlike how he'd failed to protect his own sister and mother from Death Watch all those years ago.

But Jango was realistic. Those dreams were beyond him now. It seemed as if the galaxy had changed so much to back when he used to dream that. Or maybe the reality was that the galaxy hadn't changed, but rather him and his view of it.

He blinked back into the present and looked into the forger's face, which was tightened in shock from the sound of his name.

He watched as she slowly schooled her face back into something neutral and returned to her 'pad. “Alright,” she said, the word barely a puff of air passing her lips. She seemed to be struggling with something internally before she finally shook it off. “What kind of material were you thinking?”

“What do you have?”

“We have various compounds of durasteel. I can smelt in lighter, more flexible alloys, like an ore made directly from zersium, rather than mixed with other heavy metals to make durasteel... You _could_ request _beskar_ , but the result would take months and would be very expensive. I would have to order quite a bit of it in, and it has been difficult to obtain since the civil war broke out in Sundari. Of course you wouldn't want amour made of _beskar_ if you haven't trained in armour before--”

“I've trained in _beskar'gam_ before.”

“Right,” she nodded absently and wrote down a note on her 'pad.

“I think a thick, more durable durasteel would be fine enough.”

She showed him the samples and he picked out a heavy, inflexible alloy. It would be a little exhausting to wear at first, but it would reflect most laser based blasters. The material wouldn't reflect more than a glancing blow from a lightsaber, but he knew he wouldn't have the kind of money to pay for real _beskar_ in a long time. Even before the slaughter of his people, he had only had a few pieces of _beskar_ in his armour.

Finally, she took his measurements, discussed built in weapon slots and HUD connections before quoting an estimate for the final cost. Surprisingly the price wasn't as bad as he'd thought. He'd really expected it to be more. As it was, he should have enough for the most important pieces solely from the wages Jai would pay him to work a season.

And realistically, having heard the news on the progress of the war on Sundari from Jai, he'd be here for a while. So he'd probably be able to order more pieces at a later date. That was, if he was going to stick around Obi-Wan and Satine for the entire time she was in hiding. He was still surprised he was still hanging around those two at this point. But if Jango was honest with himself, he felt a certain responsibility to Obi-Wan, Satine, and especially to the Syltt's who'd taken them all in.

“It will take two or three weeks to finish smelting the main pieces in this order. At that point they will spend at least a week with my friend who will create the electronic connections and HUD in your _buy'ce_. If you decide on more extensive armour coverage at a later date, those pieces should be able to be incorporated into their design easily.” She paused and looked up from her 'pad, where she was showing him a basic sketch of what she would be making. “Where can I contact you when they're finished?”

“I'm working at the Syltt's farmstead right now, you should be able to contact me there.”

She blinked in surprise. “I didn't realize you were staying planet side permanently.” There was a question in her eyes he didn't quite understand.

Unsure of what to say, he confirmed he would be then wished her goodbye, and left the smithy.

* * *

He hadn't had to spend any of the little money he'd had left from before he'd met the _jetiise_ yet, and he really needed some new shoes. His feet were a little too big to fit any of the work boots the Syltt's could have lent him. So he was still wearing the wrap shoes he'd stolen off a dead pirate, when he'd escaped the slavers months ago. He really needed some new ones. His blisters had blisters from all the walking and work he'd been doing the last couple weeks.

The best place to get some sturdy work boots in town would most likely be the town's general purveyor, so he thought he'd stop in before heading back to the farm.

As he approached the store in question, he noticed its boxy windows were painted with descriptions of the products sold in store, which was pretty typical for a small community store like this. Added around the list of products were subtle symbols that represented armour, defence, family, honour, and community in the mando'a language.

It was a very clever way to proclaim the proprietors devotion to the _Resol'nare_ , without saying it aloud. It wasn't a well-known way of expressing the sentiments of the _Resol'nare_ , and he would bet that even most Death Watch grunts wouldn't catch the deeper meaning of those symbols together. Especially since these were important values to many Mandalorians, not just to those that had taken the _Resol'nare_.

He headed towards the store with less hesitation than he had the smithy. These were some of _his_ people, even if they hadn't followed Jaster's or his leadership as _Mand'alor_. They must be people who held the concepts of the the _Resol'nare_ and _Manda_ spirit in their souls.

But as he approached the door of the store, two very unexpected things happened. First, the door of the store swung open, and the older _jetii_ walked out, holding a few small electronic components, dressed in his fucking _jetii_ robes! Second, he heard a few aggressive shouts from behind.

Turning to see who was causing such a kerfuffle, Jango spotted two armoured commandos sporting the very distinctive armour of Death Watch, a couple kilometres away standing at the gated entrance of town. The two Death Watch commandos were arguing fiercely with two farmers who looked to be bringing in a harvest of locally grown vegetables.

At the sight, a few thoughts immediately shot through Jango's mind.

First, the presence of a _jetii_ in town could only spell trouble for the people here. Death Watch were keen to enact violence if given a reason. He could easily see them assuming that these people were harbouring the _jetiise_ and the Duchess alongside. Their discovery could end in a massacre of the locals. After all, Death Watch was still embroiled in a civil war with the New Mandalorians (Kryze's people) on Mandalore and wouldn't hesitate to bring it here if they thought it would win Mandalore.

Second, if the two Death Watch recognized Jango, that could go equally poorly for these people. While the _Haat Mando'ade_ were not at war with Death Watch anymore, that was only because Death Watch seemed to think they had been completely wiped out. If they knew Jango was still alive, that could renew the tension between the few remaining _Haat Mando'ade_ , or any clans that still followed the _Resol'nare_.

His third thought was that he immediately wanted to go over there and protect those men who were being harassed. But the sensible part of his mind told him that would be a horrible idea. He was unequipped, in civilian clothes, and any confrontation between him and those two Death Watch commandos could easily spell his death. He was out matched and out gunned. This might not have been a problem if there weren't also the possibility of civilian casualties. There had been a reason he'd been able to take over for Jaster so easily, he was a good fighter.

But there were civilians, many just walking around the square, or going in and out of shops, just living their lives. He needed to be more cautious than that.

The old Jango would have run over there regardless, confident in his own fighting prowess. The new Jango saw the wisdom of caution and turned around to face the idiotic _jetii_ , who was still wearing his fucking distinctive robes in a place where people who hated his organization, were hunting for him.

He grabbed the man's arm and shoved him back into the shop, closing the door after himself.

“What do you think you're doing?” Jinn huffed, jerking his arm out of Jango's grasp.

“Saving your life, you idiot. Why the hell are you wearing that get-up when there are Death Watch everywhere, who would just love to capture a _jetii_ like you and torture you until you give up Kryze's location.”

Jinn scoffed in disbelief. “I have withstood torture before.”

Jango narrowed his eyes at the taller man. “You really don't know Mandalorians, do you.” Jango would love to teach this _jetii_ a lesson himself and show Jinn how violent a real Mandalorian could be. But in his mind's eye, he could just see Obi-Wan's sad, heartbroken face if anything happened to his master, and Jango wouldn't be able to handle that.

His _Master_. Jango pushed away the feeling of revulsion when he thought of the word. Even if Obi-Wan was not a slave to this man (and the jury was still out on that), the word held deep and ugly connotations for Jango.

He wasn't ashamed to admit to himself that he'd let himself forget about the elder _jetii_ in the last week. Being around Obi-Wan made him forget too much. Being around Obi-Wan was like a breath of fresh air. If the young man hadn't been a _jetii_ , with this old, suspicious _jetii_ attached to him, Jango could have easily seen Obi-Wan becoming a close confidant. Something he hadn't had since Jaster had died.

In his heart, he knew he wanted to see Obi-Wan as even more than a confidant and friend. He'd never been attracted to male betas before, but he supposed there was a first time for everything.

But he was letting his thoughts get away from him. He needed to focus on the situation at hand.

Jango turned and looked out the window. The two commandos looked like they'd finished up taunting the farmers and were moving into into the town square, heading towards the row stores on this side of the square.

“Can I help you with something?” Jango turned at looked at the young store clerk who'd walked up behind him, and was looking at Jango with a soft smile. The kid couldn't be any older than 20, and yet seemed to radiate a sense of delicate helplessness that really appealed to his inner alpha. Jango ignored the feeling.

“Do you have somewhere the two of us could lie low from those _hut'uune_ s?” Jango gestured between himself and the _jetii_ and then back out the window to the two commandos.

The store clerk leaned closely around Jango to see out of the window and scoffed at the sight of the two armoured men. “Looks like they're back again to harass old townsfolk and farmers, the vultures.”

He leaned back and looked up at Jango to smile. It was weird how that delicacy made the man seem so much younger than Obi-Wan, even though he had to be at least a few years older than the young _jetii_. If he believed stereotypes, he would say it was because the young man was an omega, but at the same time, Jango knew better than to believe someone's gender made them delicate or strong. He'd met many capable and fierce omegas during his life.

In Jango's experiences, secondary gender designation had little to do with strength, personality, the need to protect or be protected. Alphas were generally considered the “protectors” and “warriors” by the galaxy at large, but his _buir_ Jaster had been a beta, and there were few that could claim to be a stronger or more well-respected leader than Jaster had been. Not to mention there had been more than a few omegas and betas amongst the _Haat Mando'ade_ supercommandos he'd fought alongside.

Jango wondered if the young omega store clerk cultivated that delicate persona, or if it was just a part of who he was. His alpha was obviously interested in the omega's scent, but Jango himself didn't feel an immediate attraction to him. He'd had a few serious romantic relationships in his youth, and only one of them had had a similar delicate appearance and air, and she'd been the only beta he'd dated.

He pushed the thoughts away and zoned back into the present. His thoughts and alpha nature had been getting the better of him a lot recently, and it made him wonder if his rut would make an appearance in the near future.

“You can hide out in the back storage room,” the store clerk was saying.

Jango nodded in approval, “Thank-you.”

The young man blushed and led them into the door-less room. The _jetii_ moved around the merchandise and crouched behind a pile of crates that had a clear view of the door. It was the best spot in the room, so Jango joined him, having to get uncomfortably close to the _jetii_.

“What are you thinking, Jinn, wearing your robes here?” Jango hissed as he knelt behind the crates.

Jinn sighed, obviously not wanting to get back into that particular argument.

“When we get out of this, you seriously need a wardrobe change,” Jango muttered darkly.

They weren't waiting in the dim room long before they heard the door of the shop open. Through the gaps in the crates, they were able to see the two Death Watch troops walk in.

“Shopkeeper, have you seen any of these three people?” One of the Death Watch troopers asked, his voice distorted by the speaker module in his _buy'ce_.

The trooper was holding up a holo image of Obi-Wan, Satine and Jinn that had obviously been taken in Sundari as the war was breaking out. They appeared to be running, so the footage wasn't very detailed, but the two _jetiise_ 's hair, clothes and Jinn's beard made them easily recognizable.

“No,” the shopkeeper answered, “Why are you looking for them?”

“They're wanted by _Mand'alor_ Vizsla for crimes against the _Kyr'tsad_ and the people of Mandalore.”

Jango gritted his teeth at the fact that Vizsla was currently claiming the title of _Mand'alor_.

The shopkeeper began murmuring something back to them, and suddenly Jinn gasped beside him.

Jango was so immersed in watching the Death Watch pair that he flinched at the sudden noise. “What?” Jango hissed quietly.

From what Jango could see in the dim lighting, Jinn was holding his hand over his mouth and his eyes were looking at the crates as if they were far away, rather than right in front of his nose. It was same look Jango associated with Obi-Wan when he was using the Force.

“Obi-Wan is in pain,” Jinn answered, his voice softly muffled by his hand.

“Is he under attack from Death Watch? Have they found them?” Jango whispered with worry.

“I don't think so, but it's hard to tell. He's in incredible pain, and there's a feeling of intense urgency from his side of our bond.”

Jango's attention was dragged away from the _jetii_ as he heard the shop door open, and the two commando's left.

“You need to get back to him.”

Jinn turned and frowned at Jango, “You said it yourself, I'm too noticeable in my robes. If I left now, I would have to fight off those two Death Watch soldiers. You should go.”

Jango tried to relax his suddenly tense shoulders at the thought of Obi-Wan in trouble, and possibly being hurt by those _hut'uune_. They didn't know what Obi-Wan was up against, and the reality was that Jango wasn't currently battle ready or armed. Jinn was both and would be the best shot Obi-Wan, Satine and the Syltts to get out of whatever was happening on the Farmstead, unharmed.

“I'll create a distraction, while you take the back alley out of here and get to the farm as fast as you can.”

Jinn looked at him with searching eyes, then nodded. “Alright.”

Jango eased himself out from behind the crates, his body tingling in anticipation.

“I told them I hadn't seen anyone like that, _Mand'alor_ ,” the young omega smiled shyly over at Jango, when he walked back into the well-lit shop.

Jango blinked in surprise. He'd noticed the symbols representing the _Resol'nare_ on the windows, but he hadn't counted on being recognized by the young shopkeeper. “ _Vor'e_ , my thanks.” He looked at the young man for a long moment, in calculation, “How would you like to help me run a little interference on those _Kyr'tsad hut'uune_?”

The young man beamed up at him, “What do you need?”

* * *

Jango crouched on the roof of a shop a few doors down from the general store he'd been in. Currently the two commando's were questioning people inside.

Jinn was running down the back alley, towards the wall that surrounded the town. The real issue would be when Jinn reached the end of the back alley, he'd have to come out into the main street to exit out of the walled town, and would be clearly visible by the commando's if they were outside or looking out the window at all.

Even from that distance, his robes and hair would be distinctive enough for any idiot to recognize him.

The door to the store opened at the two commando's exited. Jango turned to look, and saw that Jinn was nearing the end of the alley and would soon have to head out into sight.

Jango would have to time this just right. He lit the fuse for the small fire popper the shopkeeper had given him. The young man had told him it was left over from the end of winter celebration the town celebrated in the spring. Children would light them in the town square at the end of the night. The poppers made harmless sparks of colour from a chemical reaction inside the paper cover, the down side of the poppers was that the reaction caused a loud bang. He remembered lighting off a few when he'd been a youngling too, and the loud bang at the end had only added to the excitement of the festival. But as a battle experienced adult, he could admit that they sounded a bit like a thermal detonator going off.

As the fuse burned down, Jango threw the popper down into the alley, and looked back down the street to see Jinn crossing out into the open, and a second later, the bang sounding loudly from the back street below.

The two _Kyr'tsad_ paused in talking to a woman passing by, and headed in the direction of the alley.

Crawling noiselessly to the other side of the roof, so he wouldn't be seen, Jango watched the two commandos search the alley for the source of the sound. The bang had been exactly as loud as he remembered as a child.

He looked back down the main street, but Jinn was long gone. Even better, two of the full-time, uniformed Journeymen were approaching the building the troopers were currently searching behind.

One of the Journeymen looked up and spotted Jango, jolting in surprise.

At the silent question on the man's face, Jango put his finger up to his mouth in the universal signal to keep quiet, and gestured to the alley.

The Journeyman's confusion cleared as they rounded the side of the store.

“Halt _Kyr'tsad_ , state your business in town,” the male Journeyman said firmly at the two troopers.

One of the troopers scoffed something and folded his arms in defiance.

“You're not allowed to be loitering in town in your _beskar'gam_ unless you're here on official business. So state your business, or leave.”

He watched the situation with amusement for just long enough to ensure that the Journeymen were dragging the _Kyr'tsad_ troopers out of town in the opposite direction Jinn had gone. Then Jango jumped down to the street and took off running.

He hoped Obi-Wan was alright, Jango would try to get there as fast as he could.

* * *

When Jango approached the Syltt's farmstead, all was quiet. And not the too quiet that Jango associated before a battle or after a conflict had ended. Birds were chirping in the trees that lined the drive from the road to the house. The eopies were bumbling around, braying in their outside pen by the barn.

It was like nothing was amiss.

And that would have made Jango relax, but he hadn't seen Obi-Wan or Jai in the fields leading to the farmhouse, or working around the farmstead, like they usually would be at this time of day (Jango usually along with them). And there were no sounds of busyness from the house signifying Mi-Nah and Satine chattering away as they worked together.

Jango approached the house cautiously, noticing that the side kitchen door was open. The door the family and their three farmhands usually went through to get into the house.

He jogged into the door warily, only to be greeted by an unexpected scene of soundless catastrophe. The kitchen table had been shoved out of the way. Mi-Nah was hovering near the doorway, holding a medical aid box. Jinn and Satine were kneeling on the floor, surrounding an almost motionless Obi-Wan.

Jinn had his hands on Obi-Wan's chest, while Satine was laying a cool cloth on his forehead.

Jango edged around the trio, not wanting to get in the way, and sided up to Mi-Nah. “What's happening?” He asked into the tense quiet of the room.

“Obi-Wan has contracted Karatos Plague.”

Jango's shoulders stiffened in shock and distress. “He hasn't been inoculated for it?” Of course he hadn't. Jango had even known that they'd crash landed on the planet, and yet he'd never thought to even bring it up. It was one of those things you got inoculated for as a child, so no one bothered to talk much about it past that. It was just a part of life on Concord Dawn, and not a very big part at that. People just didn't catch Karatos anymore.

Jango turned to look down at Obi-Wan, feeling his gut clench in sadness. There was little to be done once someone caught it. Jango could admit to himself that it wouldn't be easy watching the young _jetii_ pass. He'd seen a lot of death in his life, and it never got easier if you cared for the person.

“I'm having a difficult time figuring out what should and shouldn't be in his blood.” Jinn said abruptly, breaking the silence. He frowned, his brow wrinkling in effort. “I'll just have to filter anything that seems foreign to his body.

“Obi-Wan,” Jinn continued louder, “keep working on filtering the toxins out of your lungs. You're almost there.”

“What is he doing?” Jango turned back to Mi-Nah.

She shook her head, “Some _jetii_ force thing, they can filter out poisons from the body, I think. Sassy brought it up when Obi-Wan first started showing symptoms.”

Jango was a little shocked to hear such a thing was possible, but if anyone could pull off magic like that, he supposed it would be the mystical _jetii_. And he was happy to see that at least Obi-Wan did seem to be breaking. His chest was rising in very laboured, slow movements, but at least he was still alive.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan's eyes shot open and his body stiffened.

“Obi-Wan?” Satine called, and then all hell broke loose.

The young man's body began shaking and seizing, his eyes wide open, but glassy.

Jinn quickly moved away from him and began pushing anything around him to the side. “Don't touch him!” Jinn snapped when Satine began to reach for his shoulders.

When Obi-Wan began vomiting, Jinn grabbed off his robe and put it under Obi-Wan's neck to help turn his head and keep it turned, while protecting it from smacking against the floor.

All the while this was all happening, a well-dressed man in a black tunic was approaching the door. “Hello?” He called into the doorway from the outside.

Mi-Nah skirted around the scene in the middle of the kitchen, approaching the door to talk rapidly to the man in Mando'a. From the little Jango caught, the man was the doctor in the area and soon Mi-Nah was leading him in to the chaos.

The doctor was rapidly quizzing the other three, but all the sound and distractions became hazy background noise to Jango as he watched the boy who'd become his friend, dying on the floor.

The seizure finally ended, and Obi-Wan didn't seem to be breathing.

Jaster had died bleeding in his arms, telling Jango to make his _buir_ proud. His mother and father had died yelling as Death Watch shot them. Arla had died screaming in their burning house. His clan brothers and sisters had died shouting curses at the _jetiise_ on the fields of Galidraan. So much sound, so much violence.

Yet there was something awful and sickening about watching Obi-Wan die in shaking silence. Something that hurt Jango deeper than he thought he could still be hurt. He hadn't thought his broken heart could care enough again to hurt this much.

Jango wasn't a praying man, but right now, he pleaded to the great _Manda_ with all his heart. He pleaded to his ancestors, to his dead warrior _vod_ , to his dead, innocent farming family, _please don't let him **die**_.

Jango watched the doctor crouch beside the prone body, fingers searching for a pulse.

Jango closed his eyes.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think of the chapter! Also, what did you think of my Jango!doodle? Would you be interested in seeing him with his short hair now? :)
> 
> I apparently have a tumblr now, bc I found trying to put up the art difficult without one. So feel free to follow me over there, or ask me questions if you have any about any of my writing/art.  
> <https://littledumplingwrites.tumblr.com/>


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lost the internet at my place for the last 3 days, so it's nice to be back online. Though I surprisingly did get a lot more writing done because of it. If you like Clone Wars, I'm posting a Cody-centric piece (not from this series) later tonight once I edit it, and I'd love your opinion on both this chapter and that fic, dear reader! :)
> 
> Hope y'all are well! -LD
> 
> Translations:  
>  _ner yustapir sarad_ : My lotus flower (though the literal translation is: My river blossom)  
>  _Manda_ : the collective soul or heaven of the Mandalorian people.  
>  _'ika_ : by adding 'ika to the end of someone's name (seen here: Ob'ika) is a portmanteau of that persons name and adika (child), similar to saying little Obi-Wan. It's an endearment one would use for a child or a good friend.  
>  _buir_ : parent  
>  _aliit_ : family/clan

“Obi-Wan,” a voice was softly saying, “I hope you know I wouldn't do this for just anyone.”

Obi-Wan felt something warm and wet move off his forehead, and something else cold replace it.

It was a cold cloth, he realized. But that made no sense, his body felt like it was made of ice.

He opened his mouth to protest, but found his tongue wasn't working, groaning lowly from his throat instead.

“It's alright,” said the man's husky voice, “You're going to be okay. I'm here. I'll stay until you've recovered.”

The voice seemed familiar, but Obi-Wan couldn't place it. It wasn't his Master's voice. It wasn't any healer he knew, or any of his friends or other temple masters' voices.

But Obi-Wan felt like he _should_ know this voice. And although his body felt heavy and thick and everything hurt, the Force was just as clear as it always was. And it was whispering, whispering things about this man that Obi-Wan just couldn't quite make out.

He felt worse than he remembered having felt in a long time. Being Force sensitive didn't mean you didn't catch illnesses, but it did boost your immune system a bit more than the average sentient. He probably hadn't felt this sick since he was an older initiate and caught spacepox off a new arrival in the creche.

“Just before Arla was murdered,” the voice was saying, and Obi-Wan felt a large hand stroke through his hair. “She got sick with some stomach bug. Nothing deadly, but she was always miserable to be around when she was sick.” The voice laughed wetly.

Obi-Wan wanted desperately to open his eyes and see this man, or lean into the warm contact of his hand, but he hurt so much that moving wasn't an option.

“I remember sneaking in to look in on her. You know, make sure she was alright, even though I should have been in bed. And she was throwing up into a bucket, and I felt a bit sorry for her. So I went in to comfort her when she'd finished and she yelled at me! Near about tore my head off. She told me to get out. To go away. She told me that she hated me.” The voice paused, and there was deep pain, but soft love in it's lilt. “I never thought I'd miss someone telling me they hated me...”

The room was noiseless for a bit, but the stroking, soothing hand continued.

“I'm glad you're still alive Obi-Wan. I know we don't know each other very well yet. But I couldn't bear to watch someone else I cared about die.”

The voice grew quieter, “I know you can't hear me, and if you can, you won't remember this. But if you do, if you ever tell anyone about this and how emotional I was, I'll kill you myself. No stupid Karatos plague is gonna beat me to it.

“I've been brought so low, been bent enough to break, Obi-Wan.” The voice continued, “So many have seen me weak, seen me defeated. No one can know how easily I care. How easily I have come to care for you, _ner yustapir sarad_.”

Those last words, _yustapir sarad_ , sparked something in Obi-Wan's memory. He almost felt like he could catch the thought it reminded him of, he tried to tug the memory closer. But then it was gone again, and Obi-Wan felt himself drift away too.

***

In his sickness his mind opened and expanded to embrace the Force, to embrace it's comfort. And in that comfort, he dreamed.

And dreamed...

And _dreamed_.

He dreamed of so many things. 

Of the past, of what could have beens. Of the future. Of many things he wouldn't remember later.

He dreamed of people. People he knew and cared about, or would care about. In his fever, he called out to these people, to Cerasi, to Quinlan, to Garen, to Anakin, to Cody, to Vaster, to Boba, to Arla and to Luke. When he wasn't dreaming he was lying unmoving in a strange bed, feeling like he was sweating to death, and listening to that man's deep, accented voice.

Sometimes the man talked to him of his past. Told Obi-Wan stories of people he would never meet.

Sometimes when the man talked, he told of ancient fables, poems and rhymes. Stories passed down through his warrior clan, or stories told to him by his indigenous mother. Obi-Wan didn't know what planet this man's mother was indigenous to, but he thought it might be the planet they were on. And if only he could remember which planet, maybe he could remember why he was here.

Maybe then he could remember why he was so ill.

Most of the time he faded in and out of consciousness, letting the Force hold him, letting this man keep him safe.

And that was the most interesting thing of all. Whoever this man was, Obi-Wan felt like he could trust him. Felt safe with him.

And the Force seemed to think so too, if how relaxed it felt when the man was there, meant anything.

***

The first time Obi-Wan opened his eyes, his mind felt heavy and confused, but his memories were much clearer than they had been during the fevers.

The room was dark, and he could hear someone else in the room, breathing deeply in sleep.

Light filtered in through the bottom of the door to the hall, and with that light, Obi-Wan slowly looked around, hoping to figure out where he was.

It took a while, but when the dark blue tunic thrown on the the floor by the door finally started looking familiar, everything snapped into place, and he remembered where he was.

Concord Dawn. Protecting Satine. Meeting Jango. Meeting the Syltt's. Working on the farm. Sitting by the river. Everything had felt idyllic in that moment, then he'd started feeling strange, and everything had gone downhill from there.

He tried to get up and sit, but his body ached so much. And he still felt so tired.

In the end, Obi-Wan closed his eyes again and let himself drift back to sleep.

***

The next time Obi-Wan remembered opened his eyes, the room was bright with sunlight. He was alone this time. No comforting presence in the other bunk.

This time he remembered where he was though, and he was even able to sit up.

He was rubbing his hands through his greasy hair, which definitely needed another padawan trim, when the door opened and Jango strode in.

“Hey, look who's sitting up all by himself,” the smile on the alpha's face was subtle, but one of the few true smiles that Obi-Wan had ever seen on Jango's face.

“I feel terrible.”

“I bet,” Jango stepped closer and handed him a bowl of gruel and a spoon. “Need to get your stomach used to solid foods again.”

“How long was I out?” He took his first bite. It was bland, but there seemed to be a bit of honey in it that made it palatable.

“This time?” Jango looked thoughtful, “Maybe ten hours? Your sleep seemed a bit restless when I woke up, so I figured you'd be waking up soon.”

“It felt longer than ten hours.”

“The first two days you were completely out of it. The fevers really taking you under. But the last four days you've been in and out of consciousness. You even talked to me last night a bit before you passed out again.”

Obi-Wan didn't remember that. “I was out for six days?”

Jango didn't answer immediately, studying Obi-Wan's face intently. “You're recovering from Karatos Plague, Obi-Wan. Most people who contract it _don't_ recover from that. It's a miracle you're alive at all.”

Obi-Wan smiled crookedly at Jango, trying to express _well when you put it like that_ , “I am one with the Force, and the Force is one with me.”

Jango glared at him, “What kind of _jetii_ nonsense is that...? What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

“The Force saved me. If it was my time, then I would have gone, and I would have been alright with that.”

Jango's jaw clenched, his eyes turning ice cold. “I'm glad you're so at peace with dying. I'm sorry Master Jinn and Doctor Booyle were able to stop you from dying.”

“Jango,” Obi-Wan's hand shot out and grabbed Jango's wrist before he could turn away. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm happy to be alive. But if I had died and my soul had joined the Force, I would have been alright. But it had the power to save me, and it did. I have faith in it.”

Jango studied him with sharp eyes for a few moments, “You speak of your Force like my people speak of _Manda_.”

“Maybe they are one and the same.”

Jango looked away, “Maybe... Do you need me to help you to the 'fresher, before I start on my chores?”

Obi-Wan finished the last spoonful of gruel and handed the bowl back to Jango. He was glad there had only been a small portion, as his stomach felt fit to burst as it was. “I'll be alright.”

Jango nodded, not making eye contact as he took the bowl. “Mi-Nah and Satine said they'd be up to check on you in a bit.”

Obi-Wan watched Jango retreat from the room, and wondered what he'd said that had hurt the Mandalorian so much.

***

The next few days passed in agony for Obi-Wan. He'd been trained since he was a small boy to always be doing something, even if that was only meditating. And while he was recovering his strength, he found there was a limit on how much time and attention he could bare to spend on meditation.

Even just walking to and from the 'fresher took a lot out of him, which meant he wasn't about to go working on the farm with Jango, or even helping Mi-Nah and Satine around the farmhouse until he had regained some strength.

He took to spending a lot of time reading holobooks Mi-Nah that had lying about the house, and trying to take naps anywhere that wasn't Jango's bunk. The alpha had given up the bottom bunk for Obi-Wan during his convalescence, so he didn't have to climb up to his own. So sleeping in the bottom bunk during the day felt a bit like an invasion of privacy.

Most of the time he was reading or sleeping. When he wasn't, he felt a bit like a pet lothcat: wandering the house, eating bits of food Satine brought him, and finding the best places around the house to hide or lie down. His favourite so far was the couch in the den where sunbeams streamed through the windows all day, heating up the various nerf-leather cushions.

He liked to lie back on the comfy furniture and let the sunbeams warm his skin. If he hadn't felt so poorly, it would have felt very decadent. 

For a few moments, the bright rays could make him forget he was weaker than a baby, and was currently fighting with Jango for some unknown reason. He could forget where he was and pretend he was back at the temple, meditating with his Master in front of their suite's windows. He could pretend that he was surrounded by friends in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, not stuck on some back-space planet, sick and hurting, wondering when this mission would end.

As the padawan of a very active Master he was away from the temple a lot. But despite that, the temple still felt like home to him. And he discovered that in being weak and sick, he desperately wanted to be back home.

But he didn't want to complain, especially when Mi-Nah and Satine were both bending over backwards to each take moments out of their day to come chat with him, or find him a new holobook for him to read, or something for him to do while sitting around.

The days felt like they were crawling by. But eventually they did go by.

Time always passed. And Obi-Wan found that by the end of the next standard week, he was feeling well enough to go out and help Satine and Jango with some of the morning chores.

For the first three days, after they finished, he felt too weak and tired to do much more than eat lunch and fall asleep in the den. But by the fourth he felt well enough to actually follow Jango outside after lunch and help him with lighter chores around the farm.

By the beginning of the third standard week since he'd woken up after contracting Karatos, and the sixth since they'd come to the Syltt's home, Obi-Wan woke up before breakfast and went out to the yard. He felt strong enough to finally restart his morning katas, and _nothing_ was going to stop him from regaining the muscle and skill he'd lost.

***

Once he'd regained his strength, the rest of the second month sped by.

Obi-Wan was slowly regaining all the muscle he'd lost from his illness, and was able to get through all his morning katas with ease.

He remembered that before he'd gotten sick, Jango had suggested joining Obi-Wan for his morning exercise, and had at one point even suggested they try sparing.

Any progress their friendship had made before his illness had backtracked during the first two weeks of his recovery. And despite working beside the alpha everyday the past few weeks and their conversations slowly easing back into friendly territory, there was still a bit of a barrier between them that Obi-Wan couldn't break down.

He wondered if bringing up the sparing again would help them push past whatever it was Jango was hung up on, or whether it would make Jango even more upset.

During his evening meditation the next day, Obi-Wan let his consciousness float in the Force's gentle currents, and thought back to the contention between him and Jango.

 _All you can do is ask_ , was the impression he got back. And while that wasn't exactly as _helpful_ as he hoped the Force would be, he understood what it was asking him.

So after Obi-Wan got ready for bed that night and he slipped into the bottom bunk (since Jango had never mentioned the two of them switching back), he tried to stay awake and wait for Jango.

Obi-Wan didn't mind sleeping in the bottom bunk. There was even still some subtle hint of Jango about the bed that was comforting. Or maybe that was just because he was generally sharing a room with the alpha.

Really, it didn't matter. The other man's presence in the room was comforting. Obi-Wan wasn't ashamed to admit that sharing a room with Jango had given him some of the best sleep he'd had since he'd first gone into heat at 12 and been moved to a solitary room from the initiate dorms.

While he lay there waiting, he let his mind drift. There was a soft breeze coming in through the window cooling the warm summer air of the day, and the soft hum of night bugs made a soothing white noise. He'd completely wrapped himself in a light blanket, and was feeling incredibly cozy.

So cozy that he felt his mind start to slip into slumber. Blinking himself back awake, he tried to distract himself. He wondered what was taking Jango so long.

Lately, Jango had taken to going outside with Jai in the evenings. The two men would sit on the porch, sip the local firewater, and play sabacc. He had no idea what the two men talked about, but there was a tension between them that told Obi-Wan that whatever it was, they both thought it was important.

Just as Obi-Wan was worried he truly would fall asleep before the alpha came inside, he heard the bedroom door open, and Jango slip into the room.

He sensed the alpha noiselessly ready for bed, and climb up to the top bunk.

“Jango?” Obi-Wan said softly into the dim lighting of the room. The curtains were open, but the distance of the farm from town meant the night grew dark very quickly. Already stars were starting to come out, twinkling through the window pane.

Jango grunted.

“Would you go out with me to exercise before breakfast tomorrow?”

Jango didn't reply, and Obi-Wan briefly worried the alpha would feign sleep to avoid the conversation.

“Only, I'd really like someone to spar with, and I can't really ask Satine or Mi-Nah. And Jai is so busy with his Journeyman work. I suppose I could ask my Master to come by in the mornings,” Obi-Wan hedged. He knew that Jango did not think kindly on his Master, and the less he was around, the happier Jango seemed to be.

Jango sighed, “I'll spar with you tomorrow.”

Obi-Wan grinned into the darkening room.

***

The next morning Obi-Wan got up and dressed before Jango woke, as usual. Knowing the alpha was good on his word, Obi-Wan left the alpha still sleeping and went outside to begin his stretches.

He'd gotten through all of them, as well as half his katas by the time Jango made it out to the yard.

Jango was notoriously grumpy and quiet in the mornings. Not that he wasn't a bit grumpy and quiet almost always, but there was a darkness in his eyes that seemed especially harrowed in the morning.

Obi-Wan knew only a little of Jango's past. And most of that was what he had gleaned from half heard conversations between Jango and Jai, and what little Satine knew had told him. He knew there was a lot of tragedy, and a lot of death in the alpha's past, which made Obi-Wan wonder if his sleep was often disturbed by memories of those who'd died.

The alpha never said though, and Obi-Wan never pried. And while occasionally he did notice Jango tossing and turning in his sleep, true to life, Jango was a quiet sleeper.

“What did you want me out here for?” Jango asked, stretching and cracking his shoulders.

“I do a lot of sparing and practice fights when I'm training in the temple. I thought you might be able to help me with that.”

“You didn't ask because you knew I used to train new recruits in the _Haat Mando'ade_ , and felt sorry I no longer have any one to train?”

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise and then winced. “No!” He spoke quickly, trying to backtrack on any offence he might have accidentally caused. “I didn't realize you were in the practice of sparing already. It just seemed like you'd know how to carry yourself in a fight. And if we were to face Death Watch unexpectedly, it might be good if we're in good form for that.”

Obi-Wan took a step toward the older man. He searched the alpha's face, trying to figure out if he was still upset. “I know very little of your past Jango, and I wouldn't disrespect you or the memory of your family. I truly did think you could help me, and maybe I could help you.

Jango stared at him for a moment, expression neutral. Obi-Wan felt his shoulders sink in expectation of rejection. “Alright. But you'd better prepare yourself, I haven't lost a fight in years.”

Obi-Wan perked up, smiling sunnily, and then bent his knees in anticipation. “Rules?”

“You tell me,” Jango shot back, also centering his weight in anticipation.

“Fighting to pin only. No weapons. No debilitating injuries.”

Jango flashed him a dangerous smile, that reminded Obi-Wan of pictures he'd seen of Nexu about to pounce on their prey. “That I can do.”

The speed he came at Obi-Wan was shocking. And if he hadn't been in tune with the Force, Jango would have taken the padawan down right then. Instead Obi-Wan stepped out of the way and grabbed the alpha's arm, twisting it behind his back.

Jango immediately kicked backward, managing to trip Obi-Wan's dominate leg, turning his body away from the twisted arm and pushing on the padawan's shoulder, causing Obi-Wan to lose his grip and fall backwards.

His quick reflexes meant that he was able to let go of Jango, brace his arms and do a handspring into a back flip to land back on his two feet.

“You think that's impressive,” Jango said darkly, but was immediately on him again, grabbing his leg and forcing him to the ground from the side. “But that move took you too long,” he said unkindly as squashed Obi-Wan sideways into the dirt.

Obi-Wan quickly slipped his arms under Jango's armpits and around his back, using the last of the alpha's heavy momentum to roll them so Jango was pressed into the ground instead. There was more than a few rocks in the loose dirt, and he imagined they were pressing uncomfortably into his back.

Jango tried to flip him again, but Obi-Wan clamped his thighs around the alpha's torso, and pushed the alpha's arms up above his head with a hint of the Force behind his strength.

He finally had the alpha in a position he couldn't escape from, and Obi-Wan was going to use it to his advantage and figure out the tension that had been simmering between them the past week.

“Why have you been acting so cold to me lately, Jango? I thought we were friends?” Obi-Wan asked mournfully, sitting firmly on his chest.

Jango eyes widened, then suddenly he rocked his body, twisting them with his larger upper body mass, so that Obi-Wan was now the one having his back crushed into the dirt and gravel. “I watched you die!” Jango burst out. He'd moved up onto his hands, elbows locked like a push-up, which had him looking down at the slightly smaller Jedi.

Dark brown eyes met blueish-grey. “I watched Jinn and the doctor give you chest compressions and the breath of life to get you breathing again, and I just stood there, unable to do anything...” He looked away, his jaw clenched. “I thought you were dead. And then when they were able to bring you back, you were so sick. I was scared you'd die again at any moment.”

A moment of consideration passed, only the cheerful sound of birds chattering in the trees broke the stillness.

“But then I would sit with you, and there were times you seemed to turn your whole body towards me in your sleep. And I...”

Obi-Wan stayed quiet, hoping Jango would speak again. Hoping the alpha would finish his thought and explain further.

Jango turned his head back, “I can't lose you too. I've only known you for just over two months now and I can't...” Jango closed his eyes and hung his head, his shoulders tense. “You woke up finally, and you were so blase about the whole thing. As if you _wanted_ to die.”

Jango began to move backwards onto his knees, pulling away. “I've seen enough death Ob'ika.”

Obi-Wan gripped his arms Jango's neck and pulled him down again, into a tight embrace. “I'm sorry,” he whispered. “I don't want to die. And this sounds horrible, but I'm glad you were so upset I got hurt. You've come to mean so much to me in the time we've spent together. I would have been heartbroken if it were _you_ who'd been hurt.”

Jango made a sound that was half laugh, half scoff into Obi-Wan's chest. “I understand.”

When he felt Jango's shoulders tense with discomfort, Obi-Wan loosened his hold on the alpha, letting him get up from the ground.

For a moment Jango stood, turned away, staring at the sun rising over the fields. Then he turned back and offered Obi-Wan a hand up. “Truce,” he said with a small smile.

Obi-Wan stood and grinned back widely. “Truce,” he shook the Mandalorian's hand.

***

After their routine morning chores, Jango and Obi-Wan headed out to the field where they'd been working to on the new irrigation line. The work had stalled a little when Obi-Wan had been laid up, but the work was finally getting finished now. All the pipes were laid, and they'd started soldering the pieces together.

Obi-Wan would align the pieces, fasten them together with the right bolts, then Jango would come by and solder them together. Jango would be doing _all_ the soldering, as he'd been trained to use the equipment by Jai, while Obi-Wan had been healing.

They worked in tandem, which meant both could work from start to finish on each piece quickly.

The work was intensive and neither spoke for much of it. But the silence was one of camaraderie rather than tension, as it had been the day before.

After a couple hours of intense focus, Jango put down the torch and clamps, and pulled up the visor that was protecting his eyes.

Obi-Wan watched Jango stand and begin to stretch out his cramped shoulders, most likely aching from doing the same actions over and over again.

“I could help relax your muscles,” Obi-Wan stood from his own work, dusting off his dirty hands.

The alpha looked over at him, quirking one eyebrow. “Is that like some special Force technique?”

Obi-Wan laughed and then circled behind the other man, his hands coming up to rub against Jango's tight shoulders and neck.

“Oh.”

As he worked his hands, Obi-Wan thought about their morning spar, and something the other man had said. “Jango?”

Jango grunted.

“This morning when we were sparing... You called me Ob'ika.”

Jango turned his head to glance back at Obi-Wan.

“What does that mean?”

“It's Mando'a. _'ika_ sort of means little or young.” He turned his gaze away.

Obi-Wan's hands paused from where they were massaging out a rather firm knot of muscle. “You were calling me little Obi-Wan?” He guessed, his cheeks feeling suspiciously warm.

He grunted again and slid out from Obi-Wan's hands. “Let's finish this section before it starts to get dark.”

The act of indifference would have been more convincing if Obi-Wan hadn't spied a slight flush creeping up the alpha's neck.

He'd never thought of Jango as _cute_ before, but the alpha sure did have his moments.

Obi-Wan let him get back to work, and returned to his own spot. “Mando'a is important to you, isn't it.”

Jango didn't respond, reorganizing his tools.

“Would you teach me some?”

Jango glanced up quickly before he pulled down his visor, and started up the torch. Obi-Wan turned away to protect his eyesight, thinking Jango wasn't ready to talk about that right now.

But just as Obi-Wan began to ready the next section of pipe Jango began to speak, louder than usual to be heard over the sound of his equipment.

He listened intently as Jango began to teach him the basic structure of Mando'a, and a few key vocabulary words that Jango deemed important.

They spent the rest of the afternoon working on the irrigation system, and during breaks, Jango helping Obi-Wan learn to pronounce some important phrases in his native language. He even told him a couple simple stories in Mando'a that helped teach children about important Mandalorian values.

And Obi-Wan absorbed every word that came out of Jango's mouth, with earnest interest.

If all language classes at the temple were this interesting, Obi-Wan would have been interested in taking as many as possible.

***

Later that day, when they'd all sat down for dinner, Satine had brought up Obi-Wan's quickly approaching life day.

“We should celebrate,” Satine had smiled over the thick fresh bread and hearty soup she was demolishing.

Obi-Wan started to protest, his ears going pink in embarrassment. He'd only just built up his strength again, and while he had, he'd had to depend too much on everyone's help. He didn't really think he deserved a celebration, he'd taken up far too much of their time and kindness as it was.

“Sassy is right,” Mi-Nah interrupted his protests. “You two have been unable to leave the farm since you've arrived. Obi-Wan is better now, and the harvest is coming in. We _all_ deserve something to celebrate.” She shot him a kind but firm look.

When she put it like that, how could Obi-Wan protest? He supposed that if he could think of it as a festivity for all of them, it would feel more fair.

It was so strange that in less than a standard week, the galaxy at large would consider him an adult. He could be drafted in a war, he could vote for his representative delegate, he could own land. Not that any of that mattered to someone whose life was promised to the Jedi Order.

A couple months ago, he had wished he could have been back at the temple by this time, so he could celebrate with his friends. Now, as he looked around at the open, kind faces at the table, he found himself unable to feel sorry that he would celebrate his life day with these wonderful people.

***

The next morning, as Obi-Wan was finishing his stretches, he was stunned to see Jango approach him from the house. Jango usually slept in until the last possible second. He wondered if that had something to do with all the sleep he'd lost while enslaved. He didn't know much about Jango's experience as a slave, but he knew Jango was still somewhat recovering mentally, as well as relearning some of the skills he'd lost during the trauma.

“Here for a rematch?” Obi-Wan said with humour.

Jango rolled his eyes. “You couldn't handle me then, you can't handle me now.”

Obi-Wan grinned and slid into a readying position, but Jango waved his hand. “Before you got... ill, you promised me you would show me some of those katas you do.”

“Oh,” the young Jedi said startled, but recovered quickly. “Of course. Come stand over here, and grab that shovel,” he motioned to the tool leaning against the barn.

Obi-Wan was amazed how difficult it was to instruct someone else on something he'd been doing since he was just a youngling. When performing katas or sparing, he'd always been the learner in the past, but now that he was the one imparting his knowledge to someone else, it was a surprisingly enjoyable experience. Still tricky though. And more than once he had to stop himself and reexplain something that wasn't in as much detail as Jango needed.

The sun slowly slipped above the horizon.

Obi-Wan moved in, using his hands to adjust the twist in Jango's spine, when Jango spoke again. His eyes had been watching Obi-Wan demonstrate each move with quiet intensity, content to just listen until then.

“When you were sick... After the first couple days, you kind of faded in and out of consciousness.”

Obi-Wan paused, his left hand still on Jango's left shoulder, from behind.

“I think you were having nightmares. You kept calling out for people. I heard you call for someone named Cerasi more than a few times.”

Obi-Wan sucked in a deep breath. He hadn't talked about Cerasi to anyone in years.

“Others I only heard a time or two. But I never heard you cry out for the other _jetii_ , Qui-Gon Jinn.” He turned, his dark eyes boring into Obi-Wan's. “Isn't he the _jetiise_ equivalent to your _buir_? Why wouldn't you call out for him? Why didn't you want him by your side?”

Obi-Wan knew from their discussion yesterday that _buir_ meant parent. Jango had talked fondly of all the words for different _aliit_ connections.

But he didn't really know what to say to the other man's question. He knew a lot of his agemates back at the temple _did_ think of their masters as parents, but Qui-Gon and his relationship had gotten off to a very rocky start. In some ways, they still weren't as close as many other senior padawans were with their masters.

“He is my teacher, but I don't think we're quite as close as would allow the word parent,” Obi-Wan hedged, unsure of how else to explain without revealing the reasons for their distant relationship. He hadn't realized he'd been so transparent while he'd been sick.

He also hasn't asked his Master to come by the farm at all since they had separated. He'd hoped the others would either not notice, or chalk it up to some Force thing they couldn't understand.

But truthfully, he couldn't even use the excuse that they were just close through their bond, as their bond was incredibly weak for a Jedi Master and Senior Padawan pairing. They could really only communicate feelings and impressions through it.

He knew that all his closest friends at the temple: Garen, Reeft, Bant, Quinlan and Siri could all communicate with words through their bonds to their masters. It had been something that had started to bother him in the last couple years, but he kept the thought to himself. He didn't want to badmouth his relationship with his Master to Jango. After all, he still cared for the older Jedi despite their issues.

He knew that most of their bond's weakness was on his Master's side, but there _was_ some hesitance on his side as well. He felt shy to the idea of opening himself up so fully to a man who had rejected him more than a few times in the past.

Jango shook his head. “You don't trust me enough to tell me why, now. But you will one day, Obi-Wan. I will prove it to you.”

The alpha got back into the position he had been in. “What next?” He continued, as if they hadn't been talking about something so deeply personal.

Obi-Wan, a still bit shaken, showed him the next step.

***

That night, Obi-Wan got changed into his night clothes and crawled in bed before Jango even came in the room. Though this wasn't unusual, usually he would try to stay awake until he heard Jango come in.

There was some primal part of his brain that seemed to accept that he was safe when Jango was there, and he would fall be able to fall into a deep sleep quite easily.

But tonight, he was afraid that he would begin blabbing about Qui-Gon the minute Jango came into the room. Not sure he was ready to talk, he tried to force himself to sleep before the alpha arrived.

Of course, that meant his brain decided it couldn't turn itself off. It kept going back over the look of determination on Jango's face when the alpha had told him he'd prove his trustworthiness to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan turned over to lie on his back. Would it be the worst thing if he spilled his secrets to the alpha? The man made him feel safe, the man was his friend. He _trusted_ Jango.

Part of him was still the hurt little kid that wanted to hide his hurts away so he could revisit them over and over and relive the worst of the pain.

But that wasn't the healthy way to deal with his feelings.

Jango had given the opportunity to cleanse the venom out of the wound. To heal and lay his burdens on the alpha's broad shoulders.

And the darkness of the room, it was almost like it compelled him to speak. But was that a bad thing?

Obi-Wan didn't know why it was so much easier to talk about things like this in the dark, where Jango couldn't see his face. He'd seen himself that sometimes Jango had a hard time making eye contact when talking about personal matters. Maybe the dark could give him that privacy.

Maybe the darkness of the room would help him say what he needed to without feeling ashamed of those feelings. So Obi-Wan would embrace it.

Obi-Wan felt the Force poke at him, encouraging his decision. Wanting him to let go of his fear and pain.

He let out a deep sigh. When Jango came into the room, Obi-Wan would tell the alpha why. Why he and Master Qui-Gon weren't close. He would tell Jango about his past, about why he had no _buir_. And maybe that would help him let go, help him release all those hurt feelings to the Force.

The door of the room opened, and Jango crept in, as he always did, courteous to the fact that Obi-Wan could already be asleep.

Obi-Wan heard Jango get ready for bed, and then climb up to the top bunk.

Just as he heart Jango settle down, Obi-Wan finally spoke. “Jango,” he whispered.

Jango hummed, proving he was still alert.

“I do trust you.”

The room was still around them as they both digested that fact.

“The reason I wouldn't have called out for Master Qui-Gon in my illness is because we don't have a very good relationship... We don't trust each other easily.”

“Why is that?” Jango asked gently into the dark room.

And so Obi-Wan told Jango.

He told him about his failure at becoming a padawan. About being sent off to the Agricorps early. About the shame and hurt he'd felt that his dream was ruined.

He told him about being taken away and put in a slave collar by Offworld mining. About how he'd met Master Qui-Gon again and had offered to blow himself up to save the man's life. To save the planet.

He told him about Xanatos, Master Qui-Gon's former padawan, and how his turn to the darkside had made it impossible for Qui-Gon to trust another student.

He told him about Tahl, the love of Qui-Gon's life, her blindness and eventual death, and the part he'd had to play in it. About how that had further pushed his Master away.

He told him about leaving the Order for the Young to fight their war and help them stop the violence that had consumed their planet. He told him about not regretting it then, but sorely regretting it after because of how the rest of the Jedi had treated him. How his friends had treated him.

He hesitated in telling Jango about Cerasi, but in the end he did. About holding the young girl in his arms as she died. About his slowly growing love for her and the proof he'd needed that he wasn't enough to save Melida/Daan.

He told him about Bruck, and his accidental death, but finally of his Master's acceptance to take him on as a student again.

He told him how he and his Master _had_ tried to make progress on deepening their bond, but had been unable. He told Jango of the slow and hard-won the trust that was finally building between them, and how they still didn't quite trust each other. 

He told him of his renewed commitment to the Jedi Order, and how strongly he felt about his commitment to those the Order helped.

Finally he stopped, and realized he'd been talking so long that his throat ached a bit. He ignored the tear tracks on his face and waited to hear Jango's judgement. So much of it had been Obi-Wan's fault. Oh, he wasn't solely to blame, but he wasn't blameless either.

He'd made a lot of bad decisions throughout his apprenticeship. But he was trying now. He was trying so hard to be everything his Master needed, everything the Order needed him to be.

It was perhaps a lot easier to accomplish these things without his Master standing over his shoulder. But that didn't make it right. In telling Jango so many of their bad moments, he'd also included some of the good.

And there were good. Like the time he'd comforted Obi-Wan after Bruck's death. All the times he'd accepted Obi-Wan back, despite their rocky bond. There had been times Obi-Wan had felt petulant towards the man, and that wouldn't have been easy to experience.

He still loved the older man for his guidance and protection.

That thought rang through his head. He still loved his Master. He would work harder at their bond from now on. He would try to trust the older Jedi.

The only sign that Jango had been listening the whole time was the alpha's quick breathing. And after a moment of contemplation, he finally spoke: “I'm sorry you went through all that, Obi-Wan. Know that the injustices he has given you makes my desire to kill that old man even greater. Know that if I'm left in a room alone with him, and I don't kill him, it's only because I know how much it would hurt you if I did. He owes you more than he has given you. A parent owes you love and trust and protection, just as mine gave me, for however little time that they could.”

Obi-Wan smiled through his tears, enjoying the alpha's dry humour, and appreciating his reassurances.

...At least Obi-Wan _hoped_ Jango was joking about his death wish for Master Qui-Gon.

“Thanks Jango,” Obi-Wan said into the darkness.

Feeling lighter than he had in a while, unsurprisingly, it didn't take Obi-Wan long to fall asleep after that, safe in Jango's presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: a party, a fight and a discovery.
> 
> Thanks for all your lovely comments and kudos! They help keep me motivated on this fic! :) <3
> 
> Also dear reader, I posted my first gen-ish Cody-centric fic called [“You have a new comment from 'SexyJediLover69'. Read?”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26558344) about Cody becoming a fanfic author. I'd love some feedback on that if the idea interests you at all. <3<3<3


	6. Chapter 6, Part 1 of 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOO, I ended up cutting this chapter in half. At this point the chapter is ~14k words, and it has become a monster that is becoming difficult to edit. It is 32 word pages guys, and I'm tearing my hair out. So to make this easier on me, and quicker to post for you to read, this is Chapter 6, part 1 of 2. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Translations:  
>  _Me'bana_ : What's happening?  
>  _Nayc_ : No / negative  
>  _Kyr'tsad_ : Death Watch  
>  _beskar'gam_ : armour  
>  _jetii / jetiise_ : Jedi, singular / plural  
>  _di'kutla_ : stupid, useless, worthless  
>  _buir_ : parent, mother / father  
>  _mirshmure'cya_ : noun, touching your forehead to another's, or a head-butt (slang: keldabe kiss). Imagine my surprise when I looked up the word for this to find it is not an affectionate action at all. I think that is now a completely fannon concept, lol. And I know in other fics this is often a more romantic action, but in my fics it's just an affectionate action, like a hug. Let's be honest, headbutting someone is the closest Jango is gonna ever be to hugging someone, whether a gentle headbutt or a violent one.
> 
>  _shig_ : a beverage (in this case tea). Any infusion of whatever's available, but usually a mildly stimulant herb with a citrus flavor called behot  
>  _shebs_ : butt  
>  _jetii_ : Jedi (singular)  
>  _tihaar_ : alcoholic drink - strong clear spirit made from fruit.  
>  _shabuir_ : jerk, but stronger. Quite a rude insult.  
>  _sarad senaar_ : blossom lark  
>  _yustapir sarad_ : lotus flower  
>  _Haar'chak!_ : damn it!  
>  _Mando'a_ : The language of Mandalore  
>  _Mand'alor_ : leader of the Mandalorians  
>  _'lek_ : yeah  
>  _murcyur_ : kiss  
>  _Haat Mando'ade_ : True Mandalorians  
>  _Tion gar tal'din? Tion bal gar aliit, Ben?_ : What's your bloodline? And what's your house?  
>  _Aliit Fenn be Moray_ : Clan Fenn, of House Moray
> 
> I would like to also define _hick_ for all my non-North Amercian readers. (I don't know how common it's usage is outside of this continent.) Hick: a term used to describe someone who lives in a rural/farming area, often meaning the person is also uneducated, and has outdated views. Generally it is a derogatory (insulting) thing to call someone, usually used by someone from a higher social/economic background.
> 
> Also also, it's never stated anywhere (not in Cannon or Legends) what House Fenn Rau is from. Since he got his name from two people who worked on Clone wars (Glenn and Rau) by Filoni, I thought I'd take a page from his book and pick someone to be inspired by from the show. So in this he's from House Moray (he's portrayed by a Scottish actor from Moray, Scottland).
> 
> -Reminder that text in _italics_ means it's either in mando'a or an emphasis. Hopefully it's obvious which is which :)

The week of Obi-Wan's birthday, everything began to change. The bright, hot days dawned a little later, the air felt a little chillier, and the atmosphere in town grew noticeably colder and more fearful.

On the first day of the week, Primeday, Jango headed into town with Jai. Whispered conversations seemed to be taking place in groups of twos and threes. Each group would form slowly, some information would be shared between members before the group would quickly disperse, each whisperer looking for someone knew to pass on their news to.

“What's going on?” Jango asked Jai lowly, as they passed two grandmotherly looking women having a hushed conversation, while their eyes darted up and down the street.

Jai shook his head, looking just as confused. The older man crossed over to another group of people, seeming to recognize them.

“ _Me'bana_?” He asked quietly.

Jango kept himself a couple steps away, enough so they wouldn't feel threatened by his presence, but close enough to hear how they answered.

“ _Kyr'tsad_ ,” one of the women answered him in Mando'a. “ _Other districts have reported a large number of them marching towards into our district_.”

“ _Has anyone seen where they've gathered_?” Jai returned in Mando'a. “Any confirmed numbers?”

The woman shook her head, “ _Nayc_.”

And with a quick glance down the street, the small group dispersed.

Most of the other little groups of people also seemed to startle and disappear into alleys and shops. The action made Jango look down the street to the Eastern gate.

A group of three _Kyr'tsad_ supercommandos were marching into town, laughing and talking loudly.

Jai moved to meet the group, and Jango followed a step behind him, clutching the holstered blaster he'd purchased a couple weeks back. He didn't want to be recognized by _Kyr'tsad_ , but he wouldn't leave Jai to face them alone.

“ _Kyr'tsad_ ,” Jai said dryly, as the two groups met. He folded his arms, his expression cool. “What are you in town for?”

“None of your business, hick,” The sound of the lead commandos voice was a male tenor made scratchy through his external comm.

“It very much is, as an officer and member of the Journeymen Protectors on this planet, you will state your business, or you will leave.”

Another member of the group was staring at Jango through his helmet, looking him up and down. It made Jango feel naked and wish for his _beskar'gam_. “He looks familiar,” a low feminine voice spoke through her external comm.

Jai's eyebrow rose, his face firm and impassive, “You've met my son?”

The female commando looked between them for a tense moment. “My mistake.”

“Leave,” Jai said, in unbendable confidence.

The three supercommandos tensed for a moment, before the first commando made a hand gesture and the two others turned an walked slowly away. “You've made a mistake today, hick. This won't be the last you see of us.”

“Looking forward to it,” Jai said sarcastically.

The two watched the _Kyr'tsad_ march away until they had moved out of sight. When they were gone, Jango turned to the older man.

“What if they recognized me? What if I put you and your district in danger?” The idea made him feel tense and restless. These were good people. They'd only shown him and his wayward wards kindness.

“Jango,” Jai clapped his hand on the twenty-six year old's shoulder, “ _Kyr'tsad_ is _di'kutla_. I'm sure we're fine. But even if they figured it out, you have a right to be here, this your home. And what I said to them is true. I am happy claim you as my son. I know you have a complex relationship with your families who've passed, but I would adopt you into my house if you ever wanted to be free of your name.”

Jango felt something warm glow inside his chest. When Jaster had adopted him, he had let him keep his house name, in honour of his fallen family, but there was a lot of _weight_ to being Jango Fett, son of Jaster Mereel. Sometimes almost too much.

At the same time, he could not rid himself of either part of his identity, not for any amount of comfort. He felt a growing familial love for Jai and Mi-Nah, but they were not his _buir_. And that was alright too.

“Thank-you,” Jango said lowly, trying to keep his emotions back, and leaned in to rest his forehead against the other man's for the briefest of _mirshmure'cya_ 's.

The older man smiled at him, “Let's get going, I'm late for the meeting, and you have your own errands to attend to.”

* * *

When Jango returned to the farmstead just after noon, he was met with a tense atmosphere. Jai wasn't back yet and the other three were huddled in the kitchen, drinking spicy _shig_.

He set down the parcels he'd picked up in town and approached the table. “Everything alright?”

Mi-Nah sighed, her russet brown face shadowed, “We had a visit from a group of _Kyr'tsad_ while you were gone.”

Jango's shoulders jerked unconsciously. “Is everyone alright?” He asked, his eyes searching their bodies for wounds.

“We're fine,” Obi-Wan smiled softly at him.

Jango locked eyes with the younger man, able to see that he was telling the truth.

“Mi-Nah went out to get some herbs for lunch,” Satine said gravely, no doubt worried about the situation. “And the group harassed her, demanding they be allowed to search the premises for _fugitives_.”

“I told them they weren't welcome on my farm when the _owner_ wasn't here, as per Concord Dawn law,” she frowned. As if Mi-Nah was any less the owner of the farm than her husband. But it was a clever ruse of avoidance. Whether or not her name was on the land deed.

“And they left?” Jango asked incredulously.

“This time,” Mi-Nah sighed and shook her head, the jewel blue scarf tied around her hair swaying down her back. “I was very firm. But, they'll be back. We were lucky they didn't see Obi-Wan and Satine, they're very recognizable.”

Jango looked over at the two youngest members of the household. “Hopefully less so in these clothes.” They were both dressed very differently than how they had been when they'd first landed on Concord Dawn. Their tunics and trows made of simple, sturdy material in the blues and browns common in this region. Jango took a step closer to Obi-Wan and took hold of the end of his padawan braid, “We'll need to do something about your hair. Not only is the style very recognizable, but the colour is rare in the Mandalorian Sector.”

“But Bo-Katan--” Satine piped up.

“I said rare, not non-existent,” Jango rolled his eyes at her. She'd opened up a bit about her family in the last few weeks, and he hadn't been able to get her to shut up about her sister now that she'd started talking about her. Bo-Katan was good at this, Bo-Katan would like that. Jango wondered if Bo-Katan Kryze realized how very dear she was to her sister. _Probably not_ , he thought wryly, thinking back to all Satine had told him about her sister's Kyr'tsad sympathies. He wondered if it wasn't some part on Satine's to try and insure Jango wouldn't instantly attack her for said sympathies, if they ever met.

“We'll figure something out,” Obi-Wan looked up at him with trusting eyes.

* * *

“What's in there?” Obi-Wan eyed the crate and burlap sack Jango set down against the wall in their shared room, later than night.

Jango looked up at Obi-Wan with a soft smirk, undoing the bolts that held the top of the crate down securely.

Obi-Wan blinked for a moment at the revealed armour before smiling at the Mandalorian. “The blacksmith finished all of it?”

Jango nodded.

“Well go on,” Obi-Wan shooed his hand towards him, “Put it on, I wanna see!”

Jango smiled down at the durasteel armour, picking up each piece and carefully strapping them on. The last pieces on were the gauntlets and the helmet.

Obi-Wan approached him, running his dominant hand down the smooth edge of upper vambrace and the elbow guard. Jango's chest filled with warmth.

Obi-Wan looked up into Jango's visor. “It suits you, you know. Are you going to paint it?”

Jango had told Obi-Wan about the Mandalorian tradition of painting one's armour and the meanings behind it, one dark night, when they'd both confided into the dark. It was always easier to talk in the dark and Obi-Wan _always_ listened.

Jango took off his helmet and shrugged, “Not sure yet.”

“Was what we gave you was enough to cover the cost?” Obi-Wan asked, admiring the reflective sheen of the durasteel.

Jango caught Obi-Wan's hand in his. “Yes. Thank-you.”

When Jango, Obi-Wan and Satine had most recently been paid by Jai for their work on the farm, Jango had felt his heart fall after counting it out.

He didn't have as much as he would have hoped by this time. Jango had had a few extra expenses recently, and he wouldn't have enough to cover everything. He also knew the blacksmith was close to finishing his _beskar'gam_ and he wasn't sure how to make up the rest of the cost without having to wait another pay period. Obi-Wan and Satine had somehow found out and contributed all their wages to him.

 _“It's not like we need it,”_ Obi-Wan had argued when Jango had tried to refuse their offer, _“We can't even go into town. This way it will be spent with good purpose and it will be something that can aid in protecting Satine... That is,”_ Obi-Wan had hesitated, _“If you're going to keep sticking around? You never did say when you were planning to leave.”_

And Jango had found himself agreeing to both taking the money, and to confirming that he would be with them in the long haul.

The sweet smile Obi-Wan had given Jango had almost made him regret his promise to himself not to try to seduce this sweet young man. A man too young, and too inexperienced in the ways of the galaxy, and especially too inexperienced in love... be it physical or emotional.

Obi-Wan's grin brought him back to the present, “Your welcome. But really it should be Satine you're thanking. It was her idea.”

Jango grunted, nodding sagely.

He'd been angry and standoffish with her for a long time. But it had been Obi-Wan's illness that had made him see her in a new light. No matter Obi-Wan's state, she never turned away from doing her part to take care of him, and had even taken over the majority of Obi-Wan's morning chores so neither Jai nor Jango would have to do much more work. She had also been a silent support to Jango in the moments where he thought he was losing both his mind and heart to the possibility that Obi-Wan might not recover.

He didn't want to be bosom buddies with her or anything, but he was beginning to respect her as a person, and appreciate her mind too.

He would _never_ be a pacifist, there was still too large of a blood debt owed him to ever consider giving up the violence that was due him. But... he understood where she was coming from. War had torn their sector apart. Mandalore was more fractured than ever, and part of that had been the unending violence it had witnessed.

Nothing was written in stone for what direction his people would go. But Jango saw the quiet strength they still held within them, for whatever lay ahead. From the humblest of farmers and shop keepers, to the politicians and police workers. He could see their strength and determination.

And maybe it was time to take a rest from violence. Maybe they needed to use that strength in a different way.

That didn't mean he could see her being able to keep power forever, not with how violent and bloodthirsty his people could be when they were wronged. But sometimes a ceasefire was needed to figure out where you stood... How to rebuild.

Jango took off the armour and tucked it back neatly into the crate. There would be future moments where he wasn't so neat and gentle with his armour; but for now... He down looked at the shiny metal pieces and cherished the shiny newness of his new skin.

* * *

The next day, Jango finished up some chores when the group of _Kyr'tsad_ returned.

He heard them before he saw them.

He was left the barn, wiping sweat from his brow, intent on his current task when a voice interrupted his mental track.

“Hey _shebs_!” The closest supercommando called to him in contempt, “Are you the owner of this property?”

“I think you're looking for my father,” Jango answered the man calmly. He was glad that Obi-Wan was still back taking care of the eopies. If possible, he hoped this conversation would be finished before either _Kyr'tsad_ or Obi-Wan discovered the other's presence.

Another laughed, “Big man of the house.” The other two joined in the laughter.

“We're looking for these fugitives,” The first speaks again, holding up his comm to project the blurry holoframes that had been captured of Obi-Wan, Satine and Jinn.

“Never seen them,” Jango said casually, turning to close the barn doors behind him, and locking an oblivious Obi-Wan away from their prying eyes. “What are they wanted for?”

“None of your business, hick.”

Jango nodded, unimpressed. “Then if there's nothing else,” he said and began walking towards them and the road behind them. “Then I need to check on one of my father's pastures.”

It was a gamble, pretending as if there was nothing to see on the farmstead. It distanced himself from those who might need him if _Kyr'tsad_ went snooping after he left; but it also unconsciously signalled _nothing to see here_ to the commandos, in a way he hoped they wouldn't consciously realize he was doing.

“So you'd be willing to let us search your house?”

“I'm sorry,” Jango shook his head, faking sorrow, “But under Concord Dawn law, you need the permission of the owner, and my father isn't here.” He continued to move slowly around them, toward the road.

They turned in his direction, following a step behind. “But you're a part of his clan, you can give us permission.”

Jango turned back to face them, there was a deep itch under his skin, turning his back on them. He wanted so badly to grab his blaster and begin shooting. But he wasn't in his _beskar'gam_ and a physical altercation could reveal his identity. And he didn't want to reveal himself... yet.

“You know only with either the permission of the clan leader,” he folded his arms, trying not to look too angry. “Or in an emergency situation up to the clan memeber's discretion.”

“This is an emergency,” The first one growled. “These three are fugitives from Mandalorian justice!” The supercommando obviously didn't think Jango was feeling threatened enough from their presence, because the commando reached up and took off his helmet, so he could turn a dark glare on Jango.

The commando was young, maybe only a year or two older than Jango himself. He had the distinctive colouring of much of clan Vizsla. Piercing blue eyes glared at Jango. His blue-black hair that shone in the sun, while his skin look deathly pale in the bright light.

“We could make things very difficult for you,” The commando took a threatening step towards Jango.

“I think you'd best be on your way,” Jango said quietly, trying not to glare. “My father is a Journeyman Protector, and it would be very bad if you were still here when he gets home in the next half hour.”

It took a moment before Vizsla seemed to understand the implied threat, his shoulders tightening and his face twisting. The other two commandos behind him put their hands on their holstered weapons.

“The Journeymen don't scare us.” Vizsla scoffed.

Jango just raised one brow and let his silence intimidate them more than his body language.

 _I must be having some success_ , Jango thought. He passively watched as the three tried to look menacingly at him even though the two of them still had their buckets on. The two behind Vizsla each tightened their grips on the handles of weapons with a quiet creak of leather. He didn't always need violence to intimidate an enemy.

Jango knew now he had to prove he wasn't afraid of them without a shadow of a doubt. So he squared his shoulders and turned away. He walked slowly down the road towards the field they were beginning to harvest this last week for animal feed, his every sense alert to the group behind him.

By the time he made it to the field and paused to open the fence, he saw the group of three commandos walk away from the farmstead.

He relaxed his jaw, not even realizing it had been clenched the whole time he'd been walking.

 _They will be back_ , he thought sourly to himself, _and we may have to be ready for escalation._

* * *

That night, Jango quietly told a swearing Jai about the experience.

The weather had been growing colder in the evenings and mornings as the season began to change, so they'd been regaled to the farmsteads sitting room. But Jango found he preferred playing cards on soft leather couches rather than out on hard chairs on the front porch.

Jango thought it was also probably healthier for Jai that they'd been moved inside, as the man never smoked inside, and wasn't able to puff on his strong-scented pipe all evening long. But he did miss the gentle breezes and soft buzzing noises of bugs in the summer landscape around them. He didn't miss the blood-gnats though.

“There's been increased sightings and complaints about _Kyr'tsad_ in the whole district,” Jai sighed tiredly into his glass of whiskey.

“And the other districts?” Jango asked, shuffling the deck of cards.

Jai shook his head. “We've heard very little from them these past couple of weeks.”

Jango straightened in his chair, “Something is about to happen.”

Jai nodded, “I think so too. But how close are we to an outburst, and where will be it be?”

“Has there been _any_ indication that they know where she is?”

Jai was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Last week I would have said no. This week, I don't know. The problem is, while there has been increased complaints, we haven't been able to confirm there actually is a larger presence of _Kyr'tsad_ in the area. But even if it is only a rumour, it's definitely making people nervous. And I worry that fear might make for loose lips.”

Jango swore lowly. “We should leave until things in this area calm down.”

Jai dropped his card and reached over to grip Jango's arm. “We're not there yet. And even if we are, the people in this area support you. The Journeymen are behind you. The people. If we need to, we can fight.”

Jango rubbed his forehead with his freehand. “Not all of _Kyr'tsad_ , Jai. It would be a massacre.”

Jai watched Jango, his blue eyes bright with intelligence. “We'll have to play it by ear.”

Jango stared his friend down for a moment, but the man didn't so much as blink at his intense regard. “I won't put you and Mi-Nah in danger.”

“Jango, let us do this for you. That's what family does, they protect them when they need it.”

There was an ache deep in his chest, and Jango knew his face had softened with both hurt and happiness. “Alright,” the word was surprisingly hard to say. “But they also protect each other. If we become too much of a danger for you we'll leave.”

Jai frowned, “That time is not yet.”

For a while, both men were quiet with their thoughts.

* * *

Jango looked Obi-Wan up and down carefully the next afternoon.

“What?” Obi-Wan frowned back.

Jango handed him a weathered brown nerf-hide cap that he'd run in to town to purchase that morning. There had been something else he'd picked up, but Obi-Wan didn't need to know that... yet. “Hide your hair.”

Obi-Wan searched his eyes for a moment before nodding and accepting the cap. It fit perfectly over his short hair, and he was able to tuck his braid up into it, with no one the wiser.

Jango nodded and they set off to finish harvesting Jai's crop of hay.

They hoped to be finished by the the next morning, in time to help Mi-Nah and Satine prepare for Obi-Wan's life day celebration, tomorrow afternoon.

A few of the neighbours would come by for their “harvest” celebration that day, including a “wanderer” that one of their neighbours had working for them.

Mi-Nah had come up with the idea when she'd learned that Obi-Wan would be turning eighteen.

 _“It's a big day,”_ she had smiled at Jango. _“Our little Obi will be a man in every sense.”_

 _“He's a **jetti** ,”_ Jango had frowned at her. _“I'm pretty sure they don't celebrate adulthood like most of the galaxy does.”_

 _“Regardless,”_ Mi-Nah had waved him off, _“It will be good to have a reason to celebrate. Besides, we could all use a life day **murcyur** from him.”_ And then she'd had the audacity to grin slyly up at him.

Jango definitely hadn't blushed and walked away in a huff. And if he was angry, it was because of what a dangerous target this party could be.

Jango really did have his own misgivings about the celebration. With so many of the farming community invited, it could become a high visibility target if _Kyr'tsad_ chose to teach the uncooperative community a lesson.

Jai had agreed with Jango, but instead of stopping his wife, had made sure to invite eight other Journeymen and their families to the celebration, including the Lieutenant Constable and his wife.

They would celebrate together with a large meal in the late afternoon, with their friends and neighbours in attendance. Once everyone had left later in the night, they would have meiloorun pie and Obi-Wan would receive his presents. Not that Obi-Wan knew about the presents, he'd protested enough about the idea of the larger celebration and meiloorun pie.

* * *

The day of Obi-Wan's life day dawned with tight tension for the inhabitants of the farmhouse. They were preparing for the arrival of their guests, and also the possibility of any _uninvited_ guests. 

Despite their worries, the party went off without a hitch. Their friends and neighbours periodically arrived to gather in the front yard, just a few hours before late meal. They brought food, their families and lots of _tihaar_.

Jango watched as Satine and Obi-Wan were introduced to family after family. The two younger adults both seemed in their element, chatting with and charming anyone they talked to. Seeing the soft glow of happiness on Satine's face as she argued politics with an older farmer, and quiet smile on Obi-Wan's face as he traded jokes with a few of the Journeymen, Jango realized that the two had suffered from being trapped on the farm. Both seemed to find joy in interacting with other people.

When Jango had been that age, he'd learned how to properly socialize with the best of the _Haat Mando'ade_. His _buir_ had been an excellent teacher and he'd learned to schmooze even the most taciturn of Mandalorians. But when left to his own devices, he would rather hide away somewhere by himself, just enjoying the sights and sounds of whichever planet they were on. And at 18 there had already been a lot of responsibility on Jango's shoulders, so whenever he could, he found ways to escape the pressures that went with it.

They were so different, him and Obi-Wan. Sometimes he worried they were too different.

Wistfully, he watched Obi-Wan talking lightheartedly to Slon of clan Rau, and his young son, Fenn. The red hair of the three males glinted in fading light. The journeyman laughed at something his son said, Obi-Wan joining in, while Rau's son scowled up at them.

For a brief moment Jango imagined himself in some other life. One where Obi-Wan and him were here at this party because they lived in the community, not because they were relying on the Syltt's kindness. One where they lived on and worked his family's farm together. One where the two of them found joy in attending the social celebrations of their neighbours. One where Obi-Wan and him were marri--

Jango turned away from the thought and the scene. It didn't do well to live in fantasy.

* * *

While the guests were there, Jango was tense and watchful, waiting for the moment the situation could turn sour. Luckily, _Kyr'tsad_ had never showed. And most of the guests were cheerful and talkative, enjoying the food and company.

Instead of mingling, Jango stayed out of the conversations that sprung up around him, quietly watching. That didn't stop more than a small number of the adults attending from pausing to tell him that he had their support as _Mand'alor_.

Their words were both touching, and a bit terrifying. Somehow he still had these people's trust in spite of his failure at Galidraan. If he were to ask them, he knew they would join the war, that they would fight for any cause he asked them to. He didn't enjoy the idea of how much power he held because their trust. He had when he was younger. He'd enjoyed the ability he had to lead through his people's trust. He didn't anymore. He'd seen how easily that trust could be turned against his people.

As the night went on, the light faded and the temperatures began to drop. And those who had come with children slowly left for their homes. Those without children left not long after that. Soon there was only Jango, Jai, Mi-Nah, Satine, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn left. The six walked around the yard, picking up the detritus left from the party until Mi-Nah waved her hands, telling them to leave the rest for tomorrow. Now, it was time for meiloorun pie and presents.

Obi-Wan complained loudly, when he realized they'd all gotten him something for his life day, exclaiming he didn't need anything. But they all saw the soft happy smile and blush that graced the young man's face, and wisely ignored his complaints.

They gathered around the kitchen table, each holding their gift for him behind their back, while Mi-Nah motioned for Obi-Wan to cut and serve the pie.

Obi-Wan cut a piece, bringing the first to Mi-Nah, who accepted the pie in exchange for a kiss and a small sharp throwing knife. He thanked her and returned to the pie.

The next piece Obi-Wan brought to Jai. Which he exchanged for another kiss on the cheek and a brown leather sheath that was made to encase the throwing knife. Jango was surprised to note that the sheath had a yellow mythosaur skull etched into the leather and wondered why Jai had chosen that particular design to gift to the younger _jetii_.

The next piece of pie Obi-Wan brought to Satine. It was exchanged for a kiss and a bundle of cloth. When Obi-Wan shook it out, it was a very oversized tunic in the same soft blue-grey as his eyes.

“Sorry about the size,” she said, blushing. “I made it myself with Mi-Nah's help, and I'm afraid I was worried about sewing it too small when I cut out the pattern. I didn't realize how big it was until I was finished.”

“I love it,” Obi-Wan smiled at her, tracing his fingers along the decorative white line carefully stitched around the edges of the shirt.

He folded the shirt and placed it on the table next to the knife. He cut another piece of the pie, this time bringing it to Jango.

Jango took the plate and set it down, handing over the Westar blaster he'd custom ordered with the left over money from Satine and Obi-Wan. It was one of a pair, and the other was currently strapped to his thigh.

“Jango,” Obi-Wan said frowning, “You ordered them for yourself, you shouldn't split up the set.”

“I ordered two with the intention that I wanted you to have the other. I want you to have the ability to defend yourself, even when you can't use your lightsaber.”

The look on his face was conflicted, but Obi-Wan still smiled at him. “Thank-you.”

Jango bent his head to receive the kiss on his cheek, breathing in the other's neutral scent of sweat, laundry, and the acidic-sweet smell of _tihaar_ on his breath.

Obi-Wan set the blaster down carefully on the table before cutting another piece and presenting it to Qui-Gon Jinn.

“Thank-you, Padawan.” The _jetii_ said kindly. “Here,” the man handed him a flat, oblong stone about the size of his palm.

Obi-Wan laughed, as if in on some inside joke, turning the stone over in his palm. “Where did you find this one, Master?”

“When you were sick,” Jinn's voice was tense, “I went down to the river a lot, to try to clear my mind. To commune with the Force. It was on the edge of the riverbank. It made me feel better then. I thought it might help you with whatever comes.” Jinn's eyes briefly flitted over to Jango.

Obi-Wan gave him a somber half-smile, “Thanks.” His eyes brightened, “And hey, I can add it to my collection.”

“I'd hardly call two rocks a collection, Obi-Wan,” Jinn rolled his eyes, but bent down for the traditional kiss, all the same.

Obi-Wan returned to his pile of gifts and placed the rock on top before serving himself a slice of pie.

Jango watched Mi-Nah get out a couple bottles of left over _tihaar_ from the party, and Jai pulled out a deck of sabacc cards.

They all gathered at the table with their pie, while Obi-Wan set his gifts aside.

Jango used his fork to tear through the soft spongy upper layer, down through the jam and into the flaky crust of the pie, watching as Jai dealt everyone a hand for a game of five-handed sabacc.

“Everyone knows the rules, right?” Jai smiled.

* * *

Jango lead the way up the stairs and opened the door for Obi-Wan, letting the younger man step into their bedroom first.

“I'm sorry I chose so wrongly for your gift,” Jango said glumly as he closed the door. He knew he shouldn't bring this up _now_. It was late, and Obi-Wan was drunk. Though the _jetii_ was still quite articulate for someone so drunk, it was pretty obvious in the slight sway of his body and exaggerated hand movements.

Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head rapidly. “It wasn't _wrong_ Jango, it's just... I know you trust me to take care of myself. But sometimes I don't think you trust the way I could do it, as a Jedi.”

“You know my issues with the _jetiise_ , and none of them have to do with you.”

“That's just it, Jango. I _am_ a Jedi, you can't change that!” Obi-Wan yelled, poking Jango in the chest with his index finger.

“ _Haar'chak_ ,” Jango swore under his breath. “Look, I don't want to fight, Obi-Wan. I actually got you another gift. I saw it in town, after I'd already ordered the blasters. I wanted to give it to you earlier but...” Jango walked over to the wardrobe and opened a drawer. “Well I wasn't sure if I should give it to you. If it would mean anything. If you would remember...” Jango handed him a small square of cloth.

Obi-Wan unfolded the square to reveal a large blue handkerchief that had been embroidered. The younger man gasped. “ _Sarad senaar_ and _yustapir sarad_ ,” he said slowly, trying to pronounce the _Mando'a_ right. His fingers stroked shakily over the bright red bird landing on the lotus flower. “I remember. Thank-you Jango, this is beautiful.” His voice was hushed, almost hard to hear.

Jango felt his ears grow warm and turned away, focusing on changing into his sleep clothes.

When they were both in bed, and the room was dark, Jango spoke again. “I'm sorry about before. You mean a lot to me, Obi-Wan. I hope you know that.”

“I do.” Was Obi-Wan's slurred response.

Jango wasn't surprised, the kid was probably exhausted on top of being drunk. It had been a long day.

“You mean a lot tooo... I mean I...” Obi-Wan's breathing was heavy, he was definitely on the edge of sleep. “I luh...vuh...” The young man began to snore.

Jango sighed, staring into the dark. He wondered what Obi-Wan had been about to say.

He didn't dare let himself hope.

* * *

The morning after Obi-Wan's party, Obi-Wan was crashed out on his bunk, still dead to the world when Jango woke up and quietly got ready for the day.

Nothing untoward had ended up happening at the party the night before, and the attendees had had the opportunity to genuinely enjoy themselves. There had been a quiet tension whenever anyone had brought up the war, but otherwise the party had been an incredible success.

The fighting had spread from Sundari and Krownest was inundated with conflict too. Many planets in the sector worried how far the fight would spread before it ended. Sometimes Concord Dawn felt very far away from the conflict, and it was easy to forget that the New Mandalorians, other clans allied under House Kryze and the _Kyr'tsad_ were still fighting a war in other parts of the sector. But then there were other times, where the tension felt so close.

But mostly the Syltt's friends and neighbours had tried to ignore that tension and relax. And it had seemed like they'd enjoyed themselves. It had been a wonderful opportunity to see the joy of a community celebrating together. Laughing together, talking, and genuinely caring for each other.

It made his heart swell to see the people of Mandalore happy, but it also hurt to remember his own memories of community celebration like this when House Mereel had been alive. Those memories almost felt like a lifetime ago, now. Memories, that these days, were hazy from a longing to remember and a longing to forget.

Jango crept quietly through his morning ablutions, trying not to wake Obi-Wan up. The kid... no _man_ was usually up before Jango, but last night he had drank enough _tihaar_ to down a group of strills.

Jango would let the young man have a lie in and finish all of the early morning chores without him. As someone who'd been an adult in the galaxy for a while now, he knew it would only get harder for Obi-Wan from here out. He would let the _jetii_ have this break.

But as he picked up his boots and headed for the door, the pile of limbs and blankets that was Obi-Wan groaned and tried to sit up.

Jango softly snickered at Obi-Wan's groan of pain. “Go back to sleep and sleep off that hang over, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan sat up and blinked over at the Mandalorian. “I don't have a hang over. My muscles are just a bit sore from sleeping in a weird position,” the young man complained, rubbing his neck.

“What do you mean you don't have a hangover?” Jango asked suspiciously, “I saw you drink enough _tihaar_ during both the party and then after, to make a Krayt dragon drunk.”

“I just used Force detoxify,” Obi-Wan wiggled his fingers at Jango. “An incredibly drunk Jedi would actually be horrible in a group of people. Even a small one like late last night. It would either make everyone around me feel my intoxication, or make me overwhelmed by everyone's feelings through the Force. That would have been a bad idea. I definitely did get a slight bit tipsy though,” Obi-Wan smiled dopily.

" _Jetii shabuir,_ " Jango muttered under his breath, glaring. “Then get up and get dressed. Morning chores aren't going to finish themselves.”

“Jango,” Obi-Wan whined, “Yesterday was my _life day_. Couldn't you give me a break?” His eyes shone softly in the lazy morning light.

Jango picked up Obi-Wan's work shirt from the ground and threw it at his face, before heading for the door.

* * *

The two were close to finishing for the afternoon when a motion from the road caught Jango's eye.

The three _Kyr'tsad_ Supercommandos that Jango had interacted with before were approaching rapidly. The Vizsla commando was out in front of the other two, with his bucket already off. The young man was either very brave or very stupid to walk around this area without his helmet. The locals had been proving themselves to be very _unfriendly_ to _Kyr'tsad_.

The three commandos entered the field through the open gate and began walking towards them. Jango had the urge to throw Obi-Wan down into the tall grass they hadn't yet harvested and begin firing on the _Kyr'tsad_. Instead, he continued to bundle hay into the bailing machine as the group approached.

“Syltt,” Vizsla sneered at him. The man's eyes slowly looked up and down Jango's body, whether mentally undressing him or sizing up his physical ability, Jango wasn't sure, but it made him feel cold and slimy.

Vizsla then turned to Obi-Wan. “And who are you?” He questioned flatly.

“This is my friend, Ben,” Jango said quickly.

“ _Tion gar tal'din? Tion bal gar aliit, Ben_?” Vizsla asked skeptically.

“Oh he's from--” Jango started.

“I want to hear it from him,” Vizsla took a step forward and pushed Jango out of the way.

“ _Aliit Fenn be Moray_ ,” Obi-Wan answered steadily in _Mando'a_ , chin up. “What business is it of yours?”

Jango had to force himself not to turn and stare at the _jetii_. Apparently Obi-Wan had been paying more attention to his language lessons than Jango had realized. Maybe Jango needed to start speaking to the young man only in _Mando'a_ to help his fluency.

Despite their lessons, they had never gone through the different clans and which houses those clans were attached to. Which made Jango wonder how Obi-Wan knew to name that specific clan and house, that even quite visibly housed a lot of redheads. 

Jango focused back on the moment at hand, his hands carefully not clenching at his sides.

“It's the business of House Vizsla, the true rulers of Mandalore,” Vizsla shot back, infuriated. “We're searching for these traitors,” The man held out the poor quality holos on his comm.

Obi-Wan scoffed. “ _Haat o'r an nuhune_ ,” he said in vicious sarcasm. _There's truth in all jokes._

Jango would start laughing at Obi-Wan calling House Vizsla traitors, and implying that he was in the holo, if he wasn't so busy trying to stop himself from telling Obi-Wan to _shut up_!

“Why you insolent little--” Vizsla stepped forward and slapped Obi-Wan across the face, causing his cap to fall off.

His red hair shone in the bright autumn sunlight. Jango was pleasantly surprised to see that the young man's Padawan braid hadn't swung down to reveal itself.

“Know you have insulted Afonz Vizsla this day, and it might be one of your last.” And with that, the commando stomped away, snapping at his fingers at his two followers, as if they were dogs.

Jango watched them walk away for a moment before rounding angrily on Obi-Wan. “What the _fuck_ was that, _Ben_?”

Obi-Wan scowled at him, rubbing his jaw on the left side of his face, which was slowly turning red. “He's a _shabuir_.”

“We don't need to give them any excuse to look into our presence here.”

Obi-Wan looked down, his shoulders sinking. “I'm sorry, it's just, how he looked at you...”

“I know,” Jango felt his temper gentle. He stepped forward and grabbed Obi-Wan's shoulders, “You just need to be careful around them. And...”

Obi-Wan tensed, expecting further reprimand.

“It sounds like we need to accelerate your _Mando'a_ lessons. You're getting pretty good.”

Obi-Wan smiled up at him through his lashes, “Thanks.”

Jango sighed, letting go of Obi-Wan's shoulders, “Let's get going, I think we've done enough for today.”

Jango looked back to the road, where the three _Kyr'tsad_ commandos had disappeared. His gut clenched, his intuition blaring.

Something was about to happen... and soon.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder to subscribe to the Lotus Flower series, not just this story. A couple series pieces are going up this weekend that add onto this story, but would disrupt the rating and narrative of "I will shape myself into your pocket".
> 
> Also, thoughts, feelings, comments are all appreciated and loved upon! <3
> 
> ETA: There's a little snippet on why Obi-Wan's Padawan braid wasn't revealed to Kyr'tsad when they took off his hat. [Check it out here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27169180/chapters/66356089)


	7. Chapter 6, Part 2 of 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
>  _Mando'a_ : The language of Mandalore  
>  _Nayc_ : No / Negative  
>  _Kyr'tsad_ : Death Watch  
>  _beskar'gam_ : armour  
>  _jetii / jetiise_ : Jedi, singular / plural  
>  _buir_ : parent, mother / father  
>  _Mand'alor_ : leader of the Mandalorians  
>  _'lek_ : yeah  
>  _murcyur_ : kiss  
>  _Haat Mando'ade_ : True Mandalorians  
>  _Val Mando'ad_ : They are a Mandalorian (Son/Daughter of Mandalore)  
>  _Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur_ : Today is a good day for someone else to die (in this situation, Mi-Nah is saying: don't let it be you)  
>  _Jan'ika_ : From Jango and the suffix _'ika_ meaning little/small/young.  
>  _Solus, t’ad, ehn, cuir, rayshe’a, resol, e’tad, sh’ehn, she’cu, ta’raysh, ta’raysh solus_ : numbers 1 through 11.  
>  _Mando'ad draar digu_ : A Mandalorian never forgets  
>  _Ke'pare_ : Wait!  
>  _maan_ : Original, first. In this situation Mi-Nah means she has kept her Aboriginal family name. I don't know if this has been clear or not, but Mi-Nah's character is meant to be aboriginal to Concord Dawn. There's little references and hints about these peoples in the stories. :)  
>  _ka'ra_ : stars, or the ancient Mandalorian myth: ruling council of fallen kings

* * *

For the next two days the household moved around as if they were walking on eggshells.

For each of those two days Jango packed away his, Obi-Wan's and Satine's things. He wanted to be ready to leave at any moment. Especially as he was firmly against any of his people getting caught in the crossfire, whether they be Mandalorian or _jetti_.

Except Jinn, his loss would be acceptable. Okay, maybe it wouldn't if the look Obi-Wan had given him after that remark, was something to go by.

After Jango packed their bags each day, Mi-Nah came around and _un_ packed their things again.

“You need to stop,” Jango growled at her at the end of the second day. “I won't let you and Jai be killed or imprisoned because of me... Because of us,” he corrected.

“Did you ever think Jai and I are willing to take that risk for you?” She said sharply. Her voice was so sharp, it felt as if her words were directed right at the wounds he had thought long closed.

He hadn't gotten as close to Mi-Nah as Satine and Obi-Wan had, but he hadn't had a mother figure in his life since his own mother had died, and she had come very close to filling that role.

And he couldn't bear to see another mother die.

“Think about your own son,” Jango said firmly. “The one who is away right now, who would come back to his parents murdered or missing. Think about how much that would hurt him.”

“No matter what happens, he will be strong. _Val Mando'ad_.”

“Maybe he's Mandalorian,” Jango spat, “But that loss damages a part of your soul that never heals. I would know.”

The fight in her eyes died a bit at seeing the pain in his. “Oh Jango,” she said sorrowfully. Her arms reached for him, wanting to wrap him in a motherly embrace.

But his hurt and anger had crept back up his spine from where it had receded, and he shook her off, storming away.

She didn't unpack their bags again.

* * *

The next morning, Obi-Wan, Satine and Jai were nowhere to be seen when Jango entered the kitchen for breakfast. That was very strange as they often broke their fast together before all heading off to different chores or jobs.

Mi-Nah's back was to him, from where she stood at the stove, but as he entered the room, she turned and brought over two bowls full of honey-sweetened grainmeal.

“Sit,” she indicated the chair across from her.

He sat, shoulders tense.

“Jango, do you know what I see when I look at Obi-Wan and Satine?” She asked placidly.

Jango's shoulders unwound a bit. “No.”

“I see two extraordinary young adults, full of potential, but both wary to start the journey ahead of them, worried about where it may lead. I see two young people who are both full of life, but desperately want someone to see them for the people they are and not the roles they play in this galaxy. They are both old enough to make their way in this galaxy, but they are still young enough to want the comfort of family.”

Jango ate a spoonful of grainmeal and listened patiently.

“Jango,” her voice gentled even further, “Do you know what I see when I look at you?”

He shook his head, his throat felt thick, and he wasn't sure he would like her answer.

“I see a strong, extraordinary young man who is full of potential but is wary to start his own journey. I see someone who has been bent by the hardships of life, but not broken. I see a man who is old enough to make his way in the galaxy, maybe even become a leader to a part of it, if he so desired. But I also see a man who could use the comfort of... No, I see someone who _deserves_ the comfort of family.”

He looked down at the swirling grain of the table top, intently tracing the lines with his eyes.

“Jango,” she said again, her hand reaching out and stopping just short of his, on the table. Half of him wished she would reach out the rest of the way, and half of him was glad she didn't. “You deserve a family to love you, just as Satine and Obi-Wan do.”

His eyes suddenly felt a bit too heavy. He ignored it.

“Jai and I would be happy to be a part of your family.” She paused and let the warmth of her silence fill the room. “I want you to know that I am grateful for your regard and desire to protect Jai and I. You have every right to feel scared about how far _Kyr'tsad_ will go to win this war. Your feelings deserve to be validated. So I wanted to say thank you, but also that I agree with your assessment that we cannot let things continue on this path.”

He looked up at her, surprised. It felt as if his chest was a bit lighter and he wasn't sure why. His eyes darted back and forth as he considered her words. But then she spoke again and his eyes focused back on her.

“I have spoken secretly to my sister in the Hills district. I have told her of you and Obi and Sassy. She is willing to take you in, and she has a large ranch that you will blend well into.” She handed him a folded flimsy. “Of course if you have somewhere else to go, we won't stop you. But consider this option. If you went to her, then to me, it would be as if you were leaving to be with my family. We love you as a part of our family and would be happy to know you were safe and cared for by her.”

Jango was speechless, not sure of what to say to that. He could hear the love and compassion in her voice as she had spoken, and it made his stomach ache a bit. He'd had some ideas of where he could take Obi-Wan and Satine, but nothing concrete. This would work better than anything he could have found for them.

After a few long minutes of contemplative silence, he finally spoke. “What if they trace it back to you?”

“They won't. _Kyr'tsad_ isn't that smart, and we've both kept our _maan_ names.”

He smiled at her. He remembered learning about his own mother's _maan_ name. _“In our culture Jan'ika,”_ she had told him. _“You don't ever take another's name, even through marriage. We earn our names from our parents, from their love and knowledge and wisdom, and we carry them with us until we die.”_ She had traced her name, Aroha Tama, across his small arm. _“You will take your father's name, as per Mandalorian tradition, Jango Tama Fett._ And she had traced his name as well. _“But you will always carry a piece of my family with you. Don't ever let anyone take your name away from you.”_

He tried not to think about how his name had been taken away from him as a slave. Jango took comfort in the fact that _she_ had never seen him like that, and now it was his again. He cleared his throat and let the memory drift away.

“Now,” Mi-Nah was saying kindly. “Jai is waiting for you in the sitting room, so you two can figure out a strategy to get ahead of these _Kyr'tsad_ dogs,” she gave him a smile of determination.

He stood from his spot and walked to the door. He paused and looked back, “Thank-you.”

He turned again to leave, but hesitated a second time. He wanted to shake of the emotion that had been building between them. Maybe the feelings weren't bad, but they did feel a little too much for him right now.

He remembered back to the beginning of the conversation, of her affectionate nicknames for Obi-Wan and Satine. “I don't want to know what nickname you call me when I'm not around, do I?”

She smiled at him, her eyes wrinkling in mischievous pleasure, “Nayc.”

He walked out of the room, feeling lighter.

* * *

Jai confirmed that the Journeymen had gotten in new reports that lead them to believe the majority of _Kyr'tsad_ 's forces on Concord Dawn had moved in on the Grain district. The total number of _Kyr'tsad_ 's forces on Concord Dawn was somewhere over a hundred. That number didn't sound like a whole lot, but a hundred supercommando's in _beskar'gam_ could still do serious damage to a community like theirs.

And some of Jai's Journeyman compatriots from the capital city of Concord Dawn, Fortuna, had intercepted quite a few communications from the grain district. All heavily encrypted and all being sent back and forth to Clan Vizsla's stronghold on the planet Mandalore.

It was a good bet that Afonz Vizsla had some kind of clue that something was happening on farm Syltt. Which of course made Jango worried about staying, but he also worried about leaving. What if he left and his ability to stand and fight was the only thing standing in between the Syltt's capture or death. But then again, what if he stayed and Satine and Obi-Wan's presence was confirmed and it ensured not only the couple's death, but Satine and Obi-Wan's too.

At first he wasn't sure whether leaving was the right answer. He didn't want any more of his people to be murdered by _Kyr'tsad_. But after talking out his concerns with Jai, they were able to agree that it would be better if they left. Jai and Mi-Nah were close to many in the community, including all of the local law enforcement. Jai was able to convince Jango that they would be able to take care of themselves, even if they had to leave the farm or call in their friends, using some of the fail safes Jai had put in place.

Once Jango finally agreed, they turned their attention to how and when the three should leave. Jango was able to convince Jai that if they were to leave, they should do so in a way that drew attention away from Jai and Mi-Nah. In the end they were able to come up with a simple plan.

“I think that could actually work,” Jai said thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the low table between them.

“Of course it will. I come up with great plans,” Jango smiled crookedly at the older man he had come to respect and care for. “But can you spread this rumour _and_ have it reach _Kyr'tsad_ 's ears? I know the people here have been... reticent to talk to _Kyr'tsad_.”

Jai grinned back, “Leave that to me.”

* * *

Obi-Wan's mouth fell open, his eyes squinting in anger and incredulity. “That's a _terrible_ plan!”

Satine frowned, leaning back against the barn wall. “I don't know Obi, I think it could work.”

“It relies too much on a rumour spreading to _Kyr'tsad_ , and then playing on the idea that they would even be afraid of your return as _Mand'alor_.” Obi-Wan protested. “Plus when they corner you, you'll have no back up. If the Journeymen or any locals were to get involved, _Kyr'tsad_ would destroy them and anyone they are connected too.”

Jango gently patted the eopie he was standing next to, “He'll be with me for back-up.”

“Oh good, the angriest, most violent eopie on Jai's farm, who's _bitten_ each of us more times than we can count is going to be your only back-up. Against who knows how many Supercommandos who are wearing _armour_.” Obi-Wan said dryly, folding his arms.

“I never said I'm not going to have other ways to combat them when they start attacking. They're just supposed to _think_ I don't. That I'm alone, that I'm weak.”

“Force preserve us,” Obi-Wan muttered under his breath. “This assumes a lot of things. And what about Jai and Mi-Nah, when _Kyr'tsad_ realizes they've been hiding the _Mand'alor_?”

“ _Kyr'tsad_ won't realize. And even if they did, Jai and Mi-Nah will be long gone. They're going to stay with Jai's brother off world for while after this all.”

“Oh Jango,” Obi-Wan said with a breath of anger, looking away.

There was silence for a few minutes as Jango waited for Obi-Wan to either agree or come up with more arguments.

“So are you two gonna help me?”

Satine nodded and looked over to Obi-Wan.

“ _'lek_ ,” Obi-Wan snapped. “But I'll be coming with you. So you will have _actual_ back up against _Kyr'tsad_.”

“And how would look, if they realize I have a _jetii_ fighting with me,” Jango growled angrily back. He wouldn't risk letting _Kyr'tsad_ hurt Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes and moved his shoulders in a way that signified Obi-Wan was about to get _very_ stubborn about this. “If everything goes according to your plan, then I won't have to fight. But if things don't work out as perfectly as you seem to assume they will, it wouldn't hurt to have someone who can cover your ass.”

“Fine,” Jango snapped back. No way was he letting Obi-Wan come with him. He would just have to make sure Obi-Wan was otherwise preoccupied when he left.

“Fine!”

Satine snickered behind her hand, and they both turned to her, expressions full of righteous anger. She held up her hands, eyes widening. “Not to break up such an _agreeable discussion_ , but we should get started.”

The two men nodded succinctly.

* * *

The three of them spent the afternoon at the old Fett farmstead, where they'd first met.

Jango and Obi-Wan did some major digging around the property, while Satine carefully laid some hidden explosives. After they were each done their tasks, the three spent a bit of time fixing up and painting the outside of the house. Just enough for anyone looking at it from the road to see some work was being done on the old house. If Jai was successful in spreading the rumour, it would be beneficial to make the property look like _someone_ was living in it.

To Jango, the place was more desolate and decaying than he remembered it being just over three months ago.

Only three months he'd been with living and working Jai, Mi-Nah, Satine and Obi-Wan. It felt like he'd been with them for a lot longer than that. In a good way though. He felt he knew them better than some of the _Haat Mando'ade_ that he'd lived and worked with for over a decade.

It was jarring to realize how easily these four people had opened up to him, willing to leave their souls open for him to crush. He would never betray their trust like that, but the thought that they would let him was terrifying. And he realized he'd shown them the same trust. Maybe not as openly, or as often. But he trusted them with his secrets, with his well-being, with his _identity_. Maybe Mi-Nah was right, maybe there was still room in his heart for new family.

Jango looked over to Satine and Obi-Wan, where they were painting the front door and window sills, respectively.

Maybe starting a new family only required opening his heart, in return. Maybe he was ready to fully love again.

* * *

The next day, they all waited around the Syltt farmhouse: quietly, tensely, as if waiting for the axe to fall. Their morning chores were done in record time, and Mi-Nah had a hard time convincing them to leave for their afternoon chores, after lunch. None of them wanted to be away from the house if Jai came home or called suddenly to let them know the plan was in motion.

The afternoon seemed to drag by.

Jinn showed up just as the sun began to set. Apparently Obi-Wan had unconsciously communicated the feeling of needing to his Master over their bond, and the older _jetii_ had felt that had warranted a visit.

Jango spent the entire time Jinn was there, feeling vaguely annoyed with the older man, but he knew it was a good thing to let the _jetii_ in on their plan.

So the four of them went to the barn to go over the plan with Jinn, while Mi-Nah finished cooking dinner.

By the time they were done, Jai had returned, shaking his head at their inquisitive stares.

Since it looked like nothing was going to happen that day, Jinn had excused himself, to head back to the farm he was staying in.

Jango himself spent the rest of dinner fuming impatiently. He was ready to act _now_. To be fair, no one in his life had ever accused Jango of being a patient man, so the other four members of the household ignored his pouting with good cheer. Which in turn just made him even more grumpy.

He _hated_ waiting.

* * *

Late that night, Jango was sitting in the den with Jai, playing a lazy game of Sabacc. Jango was just starting to relax into the nerf-leather couch when Mi-Nah appeared in the doorway, her dark face pale and tense with worry.

“Jai,” she said in a low, warning voice, causing her husband to jump up and follow her out of the room.

Jango got up as well, but instead of following them into the kitchen, went upstairs to strap on his armour.

Either _Kyr'tsad_ was on their way up the road to them, or their plan was in motion, and Jango needed to get to his family's old family farmstead, _now_.

Either way, he'd need his armour.

Obi-Wan was sitting on the bottom bunk, in their room, head bowed and hands clenched on his leggings.

“What do you sense?” Jango asked seriously. He may hate the _jetiise_ , but he knew their abilities with the Force were true and powerful. He'd seen Obi-Wan sense the presence animals, people and even their moods from far away.

Obi-Wan's head jerked up. “What?” He seemed a bit out of it, his cheeks pink, and his eyes slightly glassy.

Jango hoped the younger man wasn't getting sick. He couldn't deal with another experience like when Obi-Wan had contracted the Karatos plague.

Jango shook his head, pushing the thought away for now. “Things are in motion. I need to get to the other farm.”

Obi-Wan stood, wobbling slightly. “I'll come with you.”

Jango tightened the straps on the joined pauldrons and chest plate, moving on quickly to the cuisses, so he would then be able to strap on his utility belt and holsters.

While he was strapping himself in, he spared Obi-Wan the briefest of glares. “Obi-Wan, you're having trouble even standing. I don't need someone else I have to worry about while I'm trying to combat whatever _Kyr'tsad_ sends at me,” He snapped.

“Jango,” Obi-Wan's voice was soft and upset.

Jango looked up sharply. “Even if you could fight, you need to be here, protecting Satine. Jinn has returned to the other farm, and it will take awhile for him to return. If any _Kyr'tsad_ comes here, you need to sneak her away and to our agreed meet-up spot without anyone seeing you.”

He stepped into his boots and began tying on his greaves.

Lastly, he strapped on the long, beaten up rifle case, that Jai had lent him from the old Journeyman armoury, over his shoulder.

When he went to pick up his bucket, he looked over and was surprised to see Obi-Wan leaning against one of the supports that held up their bunks, a slightly despondent look on his face.

“Hey,” Jango said, trying to drag up his short-fused patience. “I need you alert on this, so does Satine, and Jinn. We can do this.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan shut his eyes, and his face looked both strangely pale _and_ flushed. He opened his eyes again, the grey-blue iris' large in his slack face. “I just don't want you to go.”

Jango gripped Obi-Wan's shoulder. “We can do this.”

Obi-Wan nodded, his gaze trailing away.

“Get ready,” Jango waved his hand sideways, in a hurry-up motion. “I'll see you on the other side,” And he pulled on his bucket, turning on the HUD.

* * *

Jango moved through the house quickly, ready to head off to the old farmstead.

The storage closet down the hall from the kitchen was open and Satine was helping Mi-Nah into her _beskar'gam_.

“Jai has left, he is headed into town with some of the other Journeymen. _Kyr'tsad_ set fire to some of the buildings there,” Mi-Nah said sorrowfully.

“And where are they now?”

“Some still in town. But the community network seem to think there are some headed towards your old home.”

Jango turned to leave through the kitchen, satisfied his plan was working. He hadn't planned for a fire to take up all the Journeymen Protectors focus, but he had known _Kyr'tsad_ would do something. Even if half of their planetary forces were in this district, they wouldn't be able to defeat an angry group of Journeymen, Jango _and_ riled up citizens.

It would be interesting to see how many commandos they would send to try and take him out. From what Jai had gathered, Jango had become all but a ghost to _Kyr'tsad_. He couldn't imagine they were happy to learn that ghost wasn't quite a dead as they thought. Especially since it was a ghost that had the potential to incite many _Mando'ade_ to riot against them.

Jango wasn't so stupid to think it was about him though. The idea of the true _Mand'alor_ was still powerful to many Mandalorians. It didn't matter who it was.

“Jango,” Mi-Nah's voice stopped him in his tracks. “Be careful. _Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur_.”

He turned his head, smiling darkly over his shoulder. “The only people dying tonight will be _Kyr'tsad_.”

He ignored Satine's disturbed expression as he headed for the door.

* * *

He had no idea how much of a head start _Kyr'tsad_ had on him to the old farm, so he rode the eopie hard, taking the most direct route he could.

When he got there, he headed around the back of the property and up through the tall, overgrown fields. The uncultivated weeds and plant stalks were turning yellow in the cooler autumn weather, their shapes throwing the ground into shadow.

Sunlight was dimming in the sky, the darkening shadows of the approaching night were growing.

He tethered the eopie behind the dilapidated barn, which was a ways away from the house. He hoped it would give the animal good cover during the fight. It should also provide a good spot to take off from, if he needed to escape into the field without being seen.

The area was dark and quiet but for the soft buzzing of autumn leaf-gnats. He missed the loud croaking of pong-frogs he could hear from the direction of the stream during the summer.

The crunching of his boots on dead and dying weeds echoed loudly into the quiet as he rounded the barn and headed for the house.

He was quick to get through the back door and up the sagging staircase to the room he'd picked to wait out _Kyr'tsad_.

It was his parents room. He'd shoved some of the burned furniture to the side earlier, so he had space to set up. He took out the rifle he'd borrowed from Jai, loading the weapon and adjusting the scope before he sat down on a rickety chair, settling in to wait.

The wait was longer than he had anticipated. But to be fair, he wouldn't have been surprised if they'd had a difficult time figuring out where exactly the old farm was. The residents in this area could be pretty reticent with information like that, and the property wouldn't exactly on any recent maps.

Finally their figures appeared in his scope, but faded in and out of his vision too quickly. _Damn trees along the road_ , he thought impatiently. The darkness of the night had finally descended on the land and that didn't help. There was little light on the road, and most of the commando's seemed to have their external lights switched off.

He switched his scope to thermal.

 _Solus, t’ad, ehn. Cuir, rayshe’a, resol, e’tad. Sh’ehn, she’cu, ta’raysh, ta’raysh solus_ , Jango counted silently. He felt a little insulted that _Kyr'tsad_ had only sent _eleven_ commandos after him. Had his reputation really suffered that much?

But if Obi-Wan were here, he would reason that Jango had been gone for quite a few years. Most had thought him dead. So maybe he should be flattered that they sent even that many. It had to be half of their forces in this hemisphere, before they had called in reinforcements. Now he knew why it had taken them a few days to make their move.

Eleven against one.

The odds could still be pretty steep depending on how good of fighters the enemy's commandos were; how well trained. Good thing he had no intention whatsoever of playing fair. Another good reason that Obi-Wan wasn't here. The younger man _hated_ when Jango “cheated” during morning training.

Jango took in a deep breath and pulled the trigger, bracing his arms for the recoil.

* * *

He was able to shoot down four with the sniper rifle. The _Kyr'tsad_ commandos seemed pretty brainless. They were dropping faster than they could find cover, and those who did drop, dropped to their deaths.

He was trying his best to aim for their necks or groins, not sure if a rifle even this powerful would do much against real _beskar_.

He paused, watching the remaining figures weaving through the trees on edge of the property. “Finally. Almost thought I was going to take them all out without even a fight.”

His blood was pumping and his adrenaline high. He'd forgotten how amazing he felt on the edge of a battle.

Two of the commandos tried to slip onto the property from the southwest edge, trying to take advantage of the tree line. Those two ended up falling down one of the deep camouflaged holes Obi-Wan and him had dug to stop exactly that.

There was a brief scream as the two fell, and then the remaining five were charging towards the house, weaving so he wouldn't get a clear shot.

Jango dropped the rifle and raced for the stairs, the charge emitter in his hand.

He got to the bottom of the stairs just as two of the remaining commandos swung the door open forcefully.

Jango smiled as their sights landed on him, pushing the button.

The door exploded around the two commandos, beams falling on and around them. One seemed to escape some of the worst of it, with only a single supporting beam landing on her legs.

While the remaining three were recovering from that little surprise, Jango strode towards the settling pile of rubble. _Thank-you very much for that, Duchess_ , Jango thought with a grin. 

He jumped over the now gaping wall and grabbed the commando who'd only been hit by one beam. She was obviously dazed from the blast. He hauled her up in front of him and she screamed. The beam must have broken her legs, and he'd just jarred them.

The remaining three _Kyr'tsad_ commandos immediately opened fire, only succeeding in hitting their comrade that Jango was holding in front of his body.

With a winding heave, Jango threw the dying commando at one of the others, all the force of a body in _beskar_ hitting them like a durabrick and pushing them over the edge of the porch.

Now that he was close, he could tell that one of the remaining two was Afonz Vizsla. The Vizsla crest was emblazoned on his pauldron, and Jango was now familiar enough with that whiny voice to recognize it when he commanded the remaining commando to “Kill him!”

Jango laughed and ran towards them. He grabbed Vizsla and headbutted him as hard as he could. While the man was staggering backwards down the stairs, Jango turned towards the remaining man and kicked him in the chest.

The man had been wielding a large knife, and had gotten a good slash on the back of the leg Jango kicked him with, before his body fell back back with the force of Jango's kick.

Jango used the man's distraction at trying to gain his balance to grab his blaster and fire at the other man, hitting him in a gap of armour near the knee.

Ignoring the pain in his own bleeding leg, Jango grabbed the knife out of the man's flailing hand, and punched him in the helmet.

 _Damn_ , he had forgotten how much hitting _beskar_ could hurt.

He knelt over the man, pushed the commando's helmet to the floor and slit his throat.

A blaster shot that just barely missed his neck had Jango turning back to Vizsla, who'd obviously recovered from the Keldabe Kiss.

“Fett!” The man spat at him, “I will kill you!”

Jango just laughed, moving quickly towards the other man. The man tried to fire again, but either he was a terrible shot, or his hands were shaking, because only managed to ping a hit off Jango's chest plate.

Using his body as a battering ram, Jango body chucked Vizsla off the porch, the kinetic energy of the move tossing Vizsla down onto his back and into the ground, hard.

Jango leapt on top of the man, pinning him to the ground. Using the knife still in his hand, Jango drove the weapon through a fleshy, unprotected area near the man's dominant elbow, pushing the knife through the man's arm and into the ground.

The man screamed.

Jango stood, kicking away the man's blaster and helmet, before he took off his own bucket and took a heaving breath of fresh air.

“Y-you!!” Vizsla cried out, only faintly able to see Jango's face against the starry sky.

Jango chuckled darkly. “I want you to know that the _Mand'alor_ , the man who beat you, was under your very nose all this time. I am going to infiltrate your House and slaughter all of your family like yours slaughtered mine. And when I'm finished, I'm going to _bath_ in their blood. _Mando'ad draar digu_. This is for the _Haat Mando'ade_ , you bastards.”

He knew as soon as he'd taken off his helmet, that he'd made a mistake. But there was no going back now. He couldn't leave this man alive. Not with the danger he could pose to Obi-Wan and Jai and Mi-Nah. This man knew who they were and what they looked like.

He'd planned on leaving at least one alive to tell the tale and spread news that he lived and he was hunting Clan Vizsla. But he guessed that would have to change now.

“ _Ke'pare_!” Vizsla shouted desperately. _Wait!_

“ _Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur_ ,” Jango laughed bitterly to himself.

Jango raised his pistol and coldly shot the man in the face.

_Today is a good day for someone else to die._

* * *

Jango rode the eopie fast, making his way to their planned meeting spot, using only back roads and fields. They would need to go into hiding again. _Kyr'tsad_ would be sending forces to look for them once they realized _something_ had happened on the Fett farm.

He wondered how long it would take for them to figure out what had happened, and if that would give Jai and Mi-Nah enough time to close up their farmstead and get to his brother's on Kalevala. He hoped it would.

The trip to their meeting spot took him just over an hour. He had dodged main roads as a precaution, fording a few streams, and then followed along the shore of the major river than ran through the district. Finally he came upon the ancient and forgotten stone ice house. The ice house he'd agreed to meet the other three at. The indigenous peoples of this area had used the ice house to store food throughout the hot months, before colonization and technology came to this planet almost a thousand years back.

A soft but sweet smell floated on the air as he neared the stone hut, the stars shining brightly in the now dark night sky. The planet's three moons shone brightly down on him, lighting the still landscape.

He disembarked his eopie, noting the other two animals already drinking from the river or resting in the grass, before he whistled lowly.

Satine's face appeared in the doorway, pale and slightly panicked. “Jango, thank the _ka'ra_ you're here.” She reached out and pulled him into the dim, cool shelter.

As his eyes adjusted, he could make out Jinn leaning against the far wall, standing guard over a shivering, huddled figure.

“Obi-Wan?” Jango called in surprise, and watched as the young man's head shot up from where it had been tucked into his chest.

“Jango? Where are you, everything is so dark and blurry."

Jango quickly crouched in front of his friend, his hand going up to the _jetii_ 's damp forehead. Jinn let out a low growl, but Jango ignored him, focusing on the younger man.

He was shivering heavily, despite wearing his regular work clothes plus his _jetii_ robe. The night had not even gotten that cold yet. His skin was clammy and burning hot to the touch, which was worrying. But even more worrying was the soft, sweet scent filling the air. The scent seemed to be coming from Obi-Wan, himself.

“What's happening to him?” Jango looked up at the other two. His instincts already told him what was happening, but the idea that Obi-Wan could be going into heat seemed impossible to him. He hadn't even realized Obi-Wan was an omega! He would have presented years ago, if he was. And if so, that meant all this time, Obi-Wan had already been an omega. And Jango hadn't known. It felt like he should have known. _No one had told him._ They just hadn't trusted him... Not that should have been a surprise, but it was.

“Jango,” Obi-Wan mumbled, leaning forward into the Mandalorian. Obi-Wan seemed to instinctively want to tuck himself up against Jango's body, which really shouldn't have been a surprise. It shouldn't have, but it was. He knew he smelled like an alpha. He'd never covered up his scent or used hormonal suppressants, so to an omega going into heat, he probably smelt comforting. He probably smelled safe.

“He's going into heat,” Qui-Gon sighed. “His implant must have failed.”

“We need to find shelter then, and soon.” Jango tried to focus on practicalities, instead of thinking about the implications that the person he had felt himself slowly falling for was both a _jetii_ and an omega. The two seemed like opposite dualities. The _jetiise_ had always seemed cold and genderless to Jango.

“That's probably a good idea,” Satine spoke up. “It would be very bad if he's outside when he when he goes into full heat. It could lead _Kyr'tsad_ or an alpha with less scruples, right to us.”

Jango knew what she meant. Though every alpha and omega had control over their own thoughts and actions, even during heats and ruts, there were still a lot of alphas in the galaxy that liked to pretend rape was somehow beyond their control. As if it was the victims fault they committed such a heinous act. Jango felt nothing but a deep and violent contempt for that kind of alpha. They were unfortunately far too common, and Jango wouldn't want to be caught by one or more without shelter, while Obi-Wan was in full heat.

“There's a shut up farmhouse about two hours down river on eopie-back. Jai showed it on the map to me as a possible place for us to stop, if we needed. I think we should head for there.”

The other two agreed and soon they were packed and off. The whole trip down, Obi-Wan refused to let go of Jango, instead trying to curl up as close to Jango's chest as possible. Which soon turned very uncomfortable while riding an eopie.

* * *

The trip ended up taking closer to three hours. Two of the moons were setting by the time they came close to the farmhouse, and they ended up missing the marker and having to backtrack a bit.

The sky was beginning to lighten by the time they got their eopies up the river bank and onto the property.

The house was plain and small, and unfortunately locked up. Jango knew the house belonged to friends of Jai's who were currently off-world visiting family on Krownest. He wondered if they had been pulled into the fighting that had broken out there.

But with the house belonging to Jai's friends, none of them felt comfortable just breaking into the house (especially since they would most likely have to break a window to get inside). So next they headed to the barn. They at least needed to get the eopies settled before they tried to come up with a different solution.

The barn was well insulated and taken care of, when they got inside. It was also quite spacious. There was even a small separate room with a bed that had obviously been meant to be used by a live-in farmhand.

“So what do we do about Obi?” Satine broke the tense silence between them, after they'd settled their eopies.

Jango sighed and looked down at the shivering _jetii_ , who was clutching at Jango's arms, curling his head into Jango's chest.

“If we wait it out, we'll be waiting for at least two days,” Jinn said unhappily, crossing his arms. “And from what you've described happened in town and at your home, this area is going to be crawling with _Kyr'tsad_ soon.”

“What do you mean _if_ , Jinn,” Jango growled at him. “What, are _you_ going to help him through his heat?” Jango spat, disgusted.

“Of course not! Obi-Wan is like a son to me!” Jinn yelled back, equally disgusted.

“Well it can't be Satine, she's a beta.”

“I don't know,” Satine said coldly, “I'd probably do a pretty good job. But both of you dipshits are being _di'kutla_. Whatever is going to happen is going to be Obi's choice. And we will do the best we can with the situation. _Whatever_ he chooses.”

Jango stared at her, both impressed by her level-headed answer and surprised to hear Mando'a come out of her mouth. “I agree.”

“Jango,” Obi-Wan panted against his neck.

“Obi-Wan?” Jango carefully loosened the omega's hands and moved him away so he could look into his eyes.

“It needs to be you.” Obi-Wan peered up at him, earnestly, “I _need you_.”

“I was afraid you'd say that,” Jango breathed out anxiously. And he couldn't blame this all on a miscommunication and say that Obi-Wan wasn't able to understand the consequences of this decision. The younger _jetii_ 's eyes were clear and intelligent, right now. He was speaking as someone who was being influenced by his biology, but still knew what he wanted and understood what he was asking.

The only problem was that Jango wasn't sure it was what _he_ wanted.

Oh, he wanted Obi-Wan alright. He wanted him deeply. He wanted the _jetii_ with all his being. And that was the part of the problem. Obi-Wan would never be _all_ his, even if they decided to continue to be together after this heat.

Obi-Wan would always be a _jetii_ first. If he was with Jango, he'd be Jango's second. But Jango knew that he himself would be Obi-Wan's _first_. Even over his dead family, over his people. He didn't know if he could handle that.

And that was if Obi-Wan even still wanted to be with him after the heat.

A heat without suppressors or an alpha was painful at best. And that was without the fact that Obi-Wan clearly hadn't had a heat in a long time. It was most likely going to be excruciating.

If they waited out his heat, they would most likely expect to have to listen to him cry and scream all the way through it. Shouldn't he want to help the man he loved, regardless of benefit to himself?

Jango wasn't stupid. He knew he was the best choice at the moment. But that didn't mean that Obi-Wan wanted forever. And Jango, well he did.

 _Fuck_. He was more gone than he even realized. He looked up at the wooden beams of the barn's roof, sighing deeply. _Ka'ra help me_.

“Jango, I _want_ it to be you. But if you don't feel like you can, don't feel like you _want_ to, I understand and I will wait out my heat,” Obi-Wan said quietly.

Jango closed his eyes, shoulders slumping. Things never came easily to Jango. Neither the _ka'ra_ , nor luck, nor the Force, nor whatever controlled fate, smiled down on him. He didn't get what he wanted, and usually it was because he didn't deserve it anyway.

Obi-Wan would only want him for the moment, for the relief. He couldn't blame him, but he also wasn't sure he could help him through it. He wanted more. And Obi-Wan deserved more too. Deserved better.

“You can't want me,” Jango found himself saying lowly. “I'm too old for you Obi. Too old and broken. I'm not a suitable substitution for someone you can be intimate with. And even disregarding all that, who is to even say I won't hurt you, if we did...”

“I know you, Jango Fett,” Obi-Wan responded quietly. “I know you're a good man, and that you'll try your best. I think you've suffered, but I don't think you're broken. And even if there were a hundred other young, more 'suitable' men here, I would still choose you.”

Jango opened his eyes in surprise, and Obi-Wan smiled up at him, guilelessly. Could he have gotten this all wrong?

“If you're sure,” Jango said, testing the waters.

“I'm sure,” Obi-Wan said calmly and firmly, only a small tremor wracking through his frame giving away how sick and uncomfortable he must be feeling.

Jango's mind was sluggish and confused. His emotions pulled him this way and that. Maybe Obi-Wan wouldn't want him after, but then again maybe this was his only chance to be with this amazing young man. Shouldn't he take what he could get?

Jango nodded, realizing for the first time in a while that two other people were still there, forced to listen to their conversation. He looked over at them.

Satine and Jinn both had their eyes averted, looking uncomfortable when Jango realized they were still there, listening in. To be fair to them, it wasn't like there was anywhere they could have gone.

Jango sighed and picked up Obi-Wan's hand, the one that was clutching Jango's sleeve.

With unspoken agreement, Jango helped Obi-Wan unsteadily walk over to the small separated farmhand's room.

Jango hoped he'd made the right choice.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's also a small snippet of the scene where Jango is moving to meet Kyr'tsad, but from Obi-Wan and Satine's perspective. [Read it here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27169180/chapters/66365692)
> 
> I have posted [the _heat_ scene between Jango and Obi-Wan as a separate story over here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27186026), so this story can keep it's lower rating. If you have no desire to read a scene like that, no worries, Chapter 7 will be up in the nearish future! :)
> 
> Hope you're all enjoying this! Love to hear from y'all! Thanks to those who've commented in the past, it makes me a better writer hearing what you have to say! <3


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been patient for this update, lol. I've actually been working on it since the day I updated the last part, but I have been struggling a bit with the tone of this chapter. I ended up scrapping and completely restarting this chapter twice. This might have been the chapter I've most struggled to write in a long time. So hopefully y'all will enjoy.
> 
> This chapter starts directly after the heat scene in [Do What We Want](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27186026), however, it can be read directly after chapter 6B, if you do not read explicit works. Nothing will be lost in plot. :)
> 
> Translations:  
>  _Kyr'tsad_ : Death Watch.  
>  _jetii/jetiise_ : jedi, singular/plural.  
>  _Elek_ : yes  
> humes: near human, the types of humanoids in the SW universe.

* * *

Obi-Wan woke the next morning to the cold air prickling his bare skin. He'd was curled tightly into a ball, as if to subconsciously protect himself from the chill. His neck was a pulsing ache from a new, deep wound. The pain radiated up into his temple giving him a headache.

He groaned and stretched, noting the faint ghostly fog each of his breaths puffed out. He rolled over only to smack his face against a dark, toned bicep.

Flashes of the night before flitted through his mind, he remembered asking Jango to bite him. To mate him. He didn't regret it even in the light of the new day, even with his hormones finally calm. 

He prodded the raw wound in his neck gingerly, looking down at the prone alpha beside him. Jango had his arm thrown over his eyes, his chest moving slowly up and down. The man was clearly awake, despite his stillness.

Leaving the gash alone, Obi-Wan laid back down, snuggling into Jango's shoulder. He felt the other man stiffen beneath him. “Jango, what's wrong?”

Jango was quiet with contemplation for a moment, not seeming to care about either their nudity or the cold. “I don't know what you want from me.”

Obi-Wan wasn't sure what Jango meant. “Nothing right now.”

Jango looked both relieved and upset. He opened his mouth to speak, but an animal brayed from outside the little room and his shoulders stiffened again.

“Forgot about _Kyr'tsad_ ,” he said quietly, almost whispering to himself. Then he turned his head to Obi-Wan, “We need to go.” He didn't quite meet Obi-Wan's eyes.

The alpha got up, hunting for their clothes on the floor.

Obi-Wan watched him from the bed, suddenly feeling cold and lonely. He picked up the blue tunic and black leggings Jango threw at him and dressed dispassionately. Why did it feel as if everything had suddenly gone wrong?

* * *

Obi-Wan was slipping on his boots when Jango opened the door and walked through. The door led back into the main area of the barn, where the others were probably waiting.

With the chance to inspect his surroundings, Obi-Wan didn't find the room familiar beyond the bed.

Through the open door, he heard Satine quietly greet Jango and ask something, but the conversation was muffled into incomprehensibility from his position.

Recognizing the blanket on the bed as something Mi-Nah had given Jango, Obi-Wan folded it up carefully, looking around the room for anything they'd missed.

Something had happened between them the night before. Something deep and intense. Something more than simply sharing a heat, and yet Jango seemed uninterested in even acknowledging that something had happened.

The Mandalorian had been so tender, so kind, the night before. So the coldness of his attitude this morning felt stark in contrast.

With nothing else to keep him in the tiny room, Obi-Wan bent the folded blanket over his arm and exited. The door led into a large stabling space where three of Jai's eopies had been bedded down for the night.

Obi-Wan was still a bit chilled from sleeping naked in the cold room and was shivering a bit as he approached the others.

“Obi-Wan,” Satine turned to him, her voice gentle and soft. “Are you alright?”

Obi-Wan nodded, suddenly feeling shy. He could sense Jango and his Master just to his right, but didn't turn to face them.

“Before I... Before the heat took over, what happened?” Obi-Wan asked quietly. He felt rather than saw the other three freeze in horror and he quickly clarified. “I mean, I vaguely remember getting to the ice house with Satine, but then nothing until I asked Jango to... help me.”

He saw their bodies relax. He'd been in his right mind when he'd made that first decision, there was no reason to make them think anything else.

“Well,” Satine said, when the other two males didn't speak up. “When we realized how badly off you were, we knew we would need somewhere safe for you to spend your heat. This farm was a place Jai told Jango we might be able to use as a waypoint. We were lucky to find it. The house is locked up tight, but we were able to get into the barn, so we spent the night here.”

Obi-Wan nodded, trying to piece the events together.

“We need to leave soon though,” Jango spoke up, his voice still a bit rough from waking. “Most likely _Kyr'tsad_ will be combing the area for the Duchess,” he nodded his head to Satine. “They seem to have some reason to believe she's here in the Grain district, or they wouldn't have attacked the town last night. My diversion at my family's homestead might give us a bit of leeway, but once _Kyr'tsad_ figures out what happened there, they will be intensifying their search in this district. It's the largest district on Concord Dawn, too. So we need to cover as much ground, as fast as we can. That is, if we want to ensure we won't be caught by them.”

“How long will it take to get out of the district?” Master Qui-Gon folded his arms and began to stroke his beard in thought.

“Also, I know we're headed for Mi-Nah's sister's ranch. But where exactly is that?” Satine chimed in.

Obi-Wan fingered the healing skin on his neck with his free hand, while they talked. Not paying much attention to the map the three of them were bent over. The healing wound was hot, almost feverish, the surrounding area aching. A heavy thumping of the flow of blood through his veins, beat against his fingers.

The three bickered a bit about the best route to take out, but in the end Master Qui-Gon and Satine agreed with Jango's proposed route to Mi-Nah's sister's ranch in the Hills District. Which wasn't a surprise, as Jango had the best knowledge and experience of the land.

Obi-Wan watched the conversation quietly, not wanting to speak up. He was still feeling awkward from what had happened the night before, and didn't wanted to bring attention to himself.

Once everything had been decided he watched as the other three spread out, collecting things and readying the animals, all the while he clutched the folded blanket and silently watched.

* * *

They set out from the abandoned farmhouse just as the sun had completely risen over the horizon.

Since there was only three eopies (as Master Qui-Gon had not brought one himself when they'd met up the night before), Obi-Wan would have to ride with one of the others.

While in theory he knew this made sense, especially as when they had been riding last night he had barely been conscious, he didn't understand it now. Why it wasn't Satine who was riding with someone else, especially as she was the lightest out of them all?

He could guess by how Master Qui-Gon and Satine kept glancing at him, that they expected him to ride with Jango. The only problem with that was the disconnect happening between him and Jango this morning. It felt almost like a physical wall, a wall Obi-Wan didn't know how to break through.

And he couldn't imagine it would be a comfortable ride, with only stiff silence between them.

So when Jango held out his hand for Obi-Wan to climb up onto his eopie, Obi-Wan pretended not to see it and instead moved up beside Satine and asked her if he could ride with her.

She immediately agreed, and he hopped up behind her, ignoring the strange looks Jango was giving him and pitying looks Master Qui-Gon was throwing his way.

For a moment, the four of them were quiet and Jango just looked between Satine and Obi-Wan, before shaking his head and turning his eopie away. He led them down the path towards the road, the opposite way they'd come onto the farmstead, from the river.

“Why aren't we down in the river bed, following the river like we did last night?” Obi-Wan asked Satine quietly as they moved along the road. It seemed like a smart idea to follow it to use as a source of fresh water, and it had the benefit of hiding them from the sight of the road and any patrols.

“Jango said it's too dangerous,” she turned her head and whispered back. “He said the river narrows and speeds up dangerously in some spots.”

Obi-Wan nodded his head, he was tucked up against Satine's back closely enough that she would have felt the motion. The closeness to her also seemed to help with the jolting shock of each trotting step the animal beneath them took. His thighs, hips, ass and pelvis were feeling quite sore this morning, and pressing against her seemed to reduce the shocking jolts of the animals stride. Any kind of reduction to the jolting steps helped, even if being so close to his friend felt a bit awkward.

His heart ached a bit that it wasn't Jango he was pressed up against, but nothing could be done for that right now.

He just hoped the pain and awkward riding position wouldn't make his hips too stiff to dismount by himself when they finally took a break.

He took a deep breath and wrapped the Force around him to try to dissipate some of the pain. Hopefully he'd be able to make it through the time they needed to ride today without having to beg for a break.

They needed to get further from here, further from where _Kyr'tsad_ would be searching for them. Even if the journey _hurt_ him.

* * *

The view was beautiful as they continued to ride. The area they were in was fairly topographically flat, so the fields seemed to stretch on forever, past the horizon. The newly cut, harvested fields mixed between the long-grassy fields left fallow during growing season, created a sort of checker-board look to the land, which was pleasant to look at as they rode past.

The one time Obi-Wan turned to look behind them, off towards the townsite and Jai's farm, he noticed a black plume of smoke distantly billowing into the air. The sight made Obi-Wan's gut ache with a deep guilt that he couldn't shake. He knew they had left that loving community to deal with the aftermath of _Kyr'stad_ 's attack by themselves. And although he wished they could have stayed, as Obi-Wan and Master Qui-Gon alone could have made a big difference during the attack, the reality was their presence would have made the situation worse. But even if it hadn't, maybe nothing of those people's fates would have changed. Even so, that knowledge didn't help the guilt he felt for the people who had done so much for them.

He didn't turn to look back again.

* * *

Not long after they would have broken for midday meal on the farm, Obi-Wan noticed that Jango was looking closely along the steep riverbed that the road currently ran parallel to. Spying something only the Mandalorian understood, he began to slow his eopie down, signalling for Satine and Master Qui-Gon to do the same.

He brought them to a spot where the deep, cliff-like riverbed gentled and there was a worn foot trail leading down it's side to the water. There the alpha disembarked and led his animal to the side to drink from the river and rest, the rest of them following suit.

Obi-Wan tried to slide off the animal, only to find his thighs and hips too stiff to do so without causing himself quite a bit of pain.

So for a long few moments he just sat there, still and unmoving, trying to figure out the best way to get off without hurting himself too much.

Jango seemed to notice and came over to help him down. The alpha's arms strained against Obi-Wan's waist as he helped lift him off the animal and to the ground. Really, it was a testament to Jango's strength that he could even do so, as Obi-Wan was only slightly shorter and lighter than the alpha, and he'd been sitting quite high up.

Satine had spread out a blanket on a small patch of grass, and Jango helped Obi-Wan over to it.

Obi-Wan was ashamed to admit that he took advantage of the moment to lean against the other man, taking in his familiar sweaty and musky scent. The other man often smelt like this after a long day's work on the farm, so it had become a comforting smell.

He wished things were clearer between them. He wasn't sure where he stood with the alpha. He knew it had been a mistake to beg Jango to bond with him. It had been a moment of weakness that he was now regretting. Especially if it tore away their familiarity and friendship.

But Obi-Wan couldn't undo the past. They had made the mistake, and if those were the consequences, Obi-Wan would have to live with them.

Jango let go of him and moved to the opposite side of the blanket, as far away from Obi-Wan as he could get, and accepted the nutrient bar Satine handed him from their food stash.

Obi-Wan also took the bar Satine handed to him, but stared down at it instead of eating it. Jango had helped him down and then immediately moved away from him. The action made Obi-Wan reaffirm that something really wrong had happened to them the night before.

Jango had always been a man of action rather than words. Was he that disgusted by what had happened between them the night before?

Had he regretted it all along, and only agreed to help Obi-Wan through his heat because he hadn't wanted to see Obi-Wan in pain?

Obi-Wan had asked... no begged Jango to have sex with him and then mate him. Had Jango done both out of a sense of duty and now regretted their actions?

Obi-Wan opened the wrapper and broke off a corner of the bar, crumbling the nutrient-rich, pressed carbohydrate between his fingers. The idea that he'd asked Jango to do something he so obviously regretted made him feel shaky and sick. He didn't think he could stomach even one bite.

When the others finished their bars, they stood and began readying the animals for the next leg of their journey. Obi-Wan carefully wrapped the bar back in it's wrapper and slid it into his pocket. He couldn't bring himself to eat now anyways.

Jango moved to the river and away from Obi-Wan, as the young Jedi approached the eopie he'd ridden, with Satine, on.

Obi-Wan turned to pretend to check the lines tying their bags to the animal and tried to ignore the lump forming in his throat.

* * *

They didn't break from travelling again until the sun had set that night. With Fall coming, the sun was beginning to set just before they would have normally had dinner on the farmstead. So about forty minutes after the sky went completely dark, they finally stopped.

The road had wound itself away from the river as the day had progressed, and Jango had them stopping for the night when a big hill rose from the left, cutting off their view of the riverbed. The alpha seemed to give off the sense that the had been looking for something specific and had found it.

He led them cautiously off the road and through a small field of grass that surrounded the little hill. On the other side of the hill was a small, flat, rocky plain that reached out a ways before the cliff dropped off suddenly down to the river rushing below.

“We should be able to start a fire here for warmth,” Jango informed them as he stopped his eopie and dismounted. “If we place it just right, it shouldn't be visible from the road, and there is no road on the other side of the river canyon,” he pointed across the wide gorge. “It will help keep us from any prying eyes or possible patrols.”

Earlier in their journey, the riverbank had not been that much of a step down from the road, but here the gentle cliff walls had steepened, so they were standing quite a height from the river now. The riverbed dropped almost a story down to the water.

“Jinn,” Jango nodded to Master Qui-Gon, “Help me fill these buckets with water from the river, so the eopie can drink and we can have water to refill our canteens. Satine,” he turned to where she was trying to help Obi-Wan down from his high perch. “Can you look for some kindling and start a fire?”

Satine turned her head to meet Jango's eyes and shook her head, her arms still occupied in helping Obi-Wan slide off the animal. “I don't know how.”

“Obi-Wan can,” Master Qui-Gon gestured with his chin to Obi-Wan.

“Alright then. Satine help him however he needs you to,” Jango said, not meeting Obi-Wan's eyes once. He turned and carefully climbed over the side of the canyon down the riverbed, one of the buckets secured to a rope he was holding.

Obi-Wan tried to dismiss the way Jango had ignored him and focused on his own task.

They had stopped in a very grassy area, with little to no trees. There were a few small bushes up by the road, and Obi-Wan figured they would start there first.

Obi-Wan led Satine to the bushes and talked her through what he was looking for. They found a few sticks, but not enough to build a fire with, as most of the bushes were still quite new growth from the summer.

He took out the knife Jai had gifted him on his birthday and cut bundles of the tall, yellowing grass. They brought back the few sticks and large armfuls of the cut grass. In the small clearing, Obi-Wan sat and showed Satine how to bundle and tie the grass to make a make-shift grass logs to burn.

By the time they were done, not even the light of the moons was bright enough for them to see by, so Satine dragged out a small lantern and they began to set up the area best for the fire.

They dug down into the dirt a bit and encircled the small area with rocks, as there was quite a bit of dried grass in the area, and it would be dangerous if a grass fire started while they slept.

Obi-Wan showed her how to set up some of the grass bundles and sticks in a pyramid position that would work well in the space.

By the time Obi-Wan was ready to light the fire, Jango and Master Qui-Gon had been able to bring up five buckets of water, three of which were being slurped from noisily, by the eopie.

“Nice work,” Master Qui-Gon remarked, sitting next to Obi-Wan by the slowly building fire. “We can boil some of the water we brought up and have a bit of tea.

Obi-Wan nodded, his head down and tending to the growing fire as Jango joined them.

Jango brought out a small metal pot and a few pouches of hearty soup they could heat up for dinner as well. Satine went to find cups they could drink their soup and tea from, and Master Qui-Gon wandered back to the eopies to carefully unharness all of their bags from the animals so they could lay down and rest.

After everyone had eaten and had some tea, Jango got out a tarp and blankets so they could all lay down and sleep.

“It's going to be cozy tonight,” Jango remarked lowly. “I only have two tarps. We should lay one down so the blankets don't soak up any moisture from the night dew, and we should cover ourselves with the other in case of rain.”

“Do you think it will rain?” Satine looked up at the starry sky. A few clouds were spread through the sky, but none of them were close or even looked heavy with precipitation.

“No. But it's best to be prepared. The top tarp will protect us from wind and a bit of heat loss too.”

Satine nodded and helped Jango lay down the tarp near the fire.

Master Qui-Gon and Jango both drifted to the sides of the tarp, each settling their bedding on the opposite far edges, in a way that would bracket Obi-Wan and Satine from any danger that came at them from either side. With their feet towards the river, and their heads towards the fire and hill, it was a good bet that those were the most vulnerable spots.

“Obi-wan,” Jango said, sitting down on his bedding, not looking up from his hands. “Come put your spot next to me.”

“You may also put your spot by me, Padawan,” Master Qui-Gon said firmly, but kindly.

Obi-Wan looked between the two, trying to decide. On one hand, Jango had just invited him closer, but his tone wasn't happy. Obi-Wan had been yearning to be physically close to the man all day. Their unsettled bond itched and he had to resist the urge to scratch at the healing wound on his neck. On the other hand, Jango had been avoiding him all day, and Obi-Wan still wasn't sure where he stood with him. There was a deep hurt and an awkwardness between them that needed to be addressed, before Obi-Wan felt comfortable being close to him again.

He also had not had much time to be around or train with his Master in the past few months, and he wouldn't mind trying to establish their weakened Force bond. But he really didn't appreciate the pressure to chose between them.

Both men sat silently, waiting for his decision.

He looked between the two in soft light of the fire, not sure what to do or say. His brain felt fuzzy and his body tired from today and yesterday.

In the end, Satine chose for Obi-Wan. She settled her bedding down closer to Jango, so that Obi-Wan could settle in the larger space between her and Master Qui-Gon. There was still just enough space between Satine and Jango that if he really wanted to lay down next to the alpha, he could. She'd given him the buffer he needed, but still a chance to change the arrangement if he wanted. And Obi-Wan was grateful that she had taken away the awkwardness of the situation for him.

Instead of settling close to either men, he nestled his bedding down right beside Satine, with Master Qui-Gon near him but not close. As he laid down, he snuggled right up against Satine. She smiled at him, settling on her own blankets and prepared to sleep. He was close enough to her to smell her soft, non-threatening, beta scent. It was comforting.

“Let's get some sleep,” She whispered, the sounds of the night echoing around them as they all settled.

* * *

Over the next couple of hours, Obi-Wan drifted in and out of sleep, chased by dreams of seeing Jango in various states of hurt, violation and anger.

Every time he drifted back to consciousness, the warm crackling and soft glow of the dying fire comforted him. Each time he awoke with the feeling of fear and guilt. To help ease the feeling, he would reach above his head and throw a log of tied grass into the dying flames so it would continue to burn. It's soft crackling lulling him back to sleep.

By the time the smallest light of dawn had seeped into the dark sky, Obi-Wan was wide awake and feeling a bit like he hadn't slept at all.

His adult body and emerging bond yearned to move over to Jango and curl into his body, seeking comfort. Over the last few months Jango had become a source of deep friendship and emotional comfort, and Obi-Wan wouldn't mind that closeness right now.

Meanwhile the little child inside him yearned to go over to his Master and curl his back against the older man's back. They weren't the closest of Master and Padawan pairs, but they worked well together, and Master Qui-Gon had been the only constant source of comfort and discipline in his life since he was twelve. It made sense he also yearned to seek comfort from the older man.

Over the next hour, he lay still, wrapped in his blankets as the other three slept on, all tired from the physical distance they'd crossed the day before. His mind went back and forth, trying to figure out what he should have done differently with Jango; trying to figure out how to mend what had happened between them. In those moments of quiet, he vacillated between feeling self-loathing from hurting his friend, but also anger that Jango had inflicted on him, ever since they'd woken up together in the barn and the Mandalorian had begun ignoring him.

The one thing positive emotion he was feeling however, was happiness that his body wasn't quite as sore this morning as it had been the day before. Whether or not his sleep had been mentally restful, his body felt a lot better. Hopefully that mean the distance they had to cover today would be much less stressful on his body.

* * *

Obi-Wan slipped out of his sleeping spot to stoked the fire back up again and begun boiling some water. And by the time the others finally awoke and began to pack away their bedding, Obi-Wan had prepared some oatmeal and was making tea for them to have with their morning meal.

“Thank-you Obi-Wan,” Satine smiled and took the cup of oatmeal from him. Her clothes were rumpled and her light blonde hair was in a state of disarray that Obi-Wan had never seen before. Even with her appearance disheveled, she still portrayed an air of dignity that he envied.

“You're welcome,” he smiled back. He appreciated the quiet support she'd been giving him the last couple days.

That support was especially important because sometimes when Jango got close it was like everyone else faded away. He was struggling with that combined with the new rift between them. And seeing how much Satine supported and cared for him, was very strengthening despite his struggles. She was a better friend than he deserved right now.

Obi-Wan handed cups of oatmeal and tea to Master Qui-Gon and Jango, and both accepted their portions with quiet nods of gratitude.

“We need to get going,” Jango said dumping the dregs of his tea over the fire. “We're a bit later than I would have hoped, but we should still make good time if we leave soon.”

“Will we make it all the way today?” Master Qui-Gon asked Jango respectfully, if still a little stiff with emotional distance.

Jango shook his head. “We could push hard and make it close to the closest town to their homestead today, but I think that would be a bad idea. Before the incident in town two days ago, most townsites in the Hill and Capital districts had the highest number of _Kyr'tsad_ patrolling. We should assume that's still the case, even if it's not. I think we should probably make camp tonight once we're in view of the Factory district. Less patrols will be looking for us there. We're more vulnerable in the night anyways.”

He swatted at a small gnat trying to land in his hair. Usually, Jango kept it slicked back into an almost military style, but the curls had rioted out from the product he'd put in them almost two days ago and Jango obviously wasn't about to spend time doing his hair today.

It looked beautiful, natural like that, and Obi-Wan had to look away. It made the alpha look more approachable and reachable than usual.

“We really should try to get out of the Grain district as soon as possible. Will the Factory district really be that easy to find the edge of, as it gets dark?” Master Qui-Gon frowned.

“Oh believe me,” Jango said, amused, “You'll see before we get close. That is if you don't smell it first.”

Master Qui-Gon nodded. The three of them hadn't really been outside of the Grain district since they'd crash landed in it months ago. They had to trust Jango's knowledge of the land.

“I'll get the eopies ready,” Master Qui-Gon said and turned away.

Satine looked at Obi-Wan and then glanced over at Jango who was looking down at the fire's remaining embers. “I'll help you Jinn.”

Obi-Wan watched them walk away and then turned to eye his alpha. Or rather not _his_ alpha. Obi-Wan fingered the healing wound on his neck again.

Jango was faced away, head down-turned. He stepped forward, stomped out the embers of the fire and kicked the loose dirt, Obi-Wan had dug up over the top of the pit, to smother out any embers he might have missed.

“Jango,” Obi-Wan said quietly as Jango finally left the dowsed fire alone.

Jango met his eyes for the first time since they'd woken up yesterday morning, and Obi-Wan felt his stomach drop at the intensity in their depths.

“Leave it alone, Obi-Wan.” His face was stone-cold and unmoving.

Obi-Wan stepped forward and took a gasping breath, enjoying the strong scent of the alpha.

Jango let out of a short, low growl of warning and brushed past Obi-Wan and towards where the other two were reading the animals.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and blushed, a little ashamed. It was considered rude to scent someone outright like that, unless you were lovers or close family. The natural scent of someone could be comforting, but also would tell you a lot about how someone was feeling. Well, if you were an unsuppressed omega or alpha, that was.

Betas and those on suppressants could only smell the strong notes of someone's scent. So before he went into heat a day and a half ago, he hadn't ever scented the depths of Jango's natural scent. It was strong, sad and angry. The depth of his musky alpha pheromones went a bit to Obi-Wan's head.

Jango smelled so sad and angry. Was he angry and upset at Obi-Wan? Because he asked Jango to help Obi-Wan through his heat? Or was Jango angry for not accepting his offer for closeness last night?

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, trying to rub warmth into his chest and arms.

He turned and watched the other three steady their eopies and mount, ready to travel on. His shoulders sunk as he crossed over to Satine and climbed up behind her.

* * *

The day was long, but not without breaks.

The air was colder than the day before, but not so cold that they needed to worry about wrapping up warmer than they already were.

It was mostly the wind that made Obi-Wan feel so chilled, and so when they stopped for a break around noon for a meal and a rest for their animals, Obi-Wan dug his Jedi cloak out of his pack.

He hadn't worn the hooded robe since he'd gotten sick with Karatos Plague. It was a bit musty from having been tucked away for so long, but it was just as comforting and warm as he remembered.

He thought about how odd he must look in his light blue, collared tunic, darker blue sweater and black leggings, with his brown Jedi robe thrown over the top. He was glad the area they were travelling through was very sparsely populated. They mostly saw grain fields with only the occasional farm house appearing near the road. They didn't meet even a soul as they rode along the road. Which was good considering his robe was probably somewhat recognizable in these parts as a Jedi cloak, and he'd rather not have to deal with anyone noticing it.

The ride was quiet, and Obi-Wan wondered if fear kept the residents inside their homes when strangers like them rode by. He remembered the kind friendliness of Jai and Mi-Nah's friends and neighbors at his birthday party, and felt sad for the fear Death Watch used here to paralyze these people. _This was why he was a Jedi_ , he thought to himself, _to fight against groups that dealt in fear like this._ The Jedi weren't always successful, but they tried to help the galaxy more than most did.

As the sun began to set on the day, the crop fields began to become more sparse, often interrupted by swampy sections of uncultivated land. Soon the farms and fields completely disappeared and the somewhat flat land became even more rocky and hilly. The terrain was littered with small valleys covered in wet marshes with small mossy trees, while the higher hills were rocky and often barren of life.

“The air is more humid here,” Satine said as they slowed and the three eopies closed the distance between them.

“That water table is higher here,” Jango remarked over his shoulder. “The river just curved sharply west a while back, but there are quite a few underground rivers very close to the surface here.”

It wasn't long after the last homestead disappeared that a noxious, heavy smell descended on them.

“What is that?” Obi-Wan choked.

Even Satine, whose nose was far less sensitive, wrinkled her nose in distaste.

“We're getting close to the Factory district. It's the smallest district, and regaled to the smallest portion of land to help regulate pollution,” Jango said, barely glancing back at them. “The smell has always been a deterrent for anyone wanting to get close unless you had a reason to.”

Sure enough, the road they were travelling on suddenly came out from behind a hill and exposed them to a long, sunken and wide valley stretching out in front of them. It was absolutely crammed full of different factories as far as they could see. Some were small and discrete looking plain buildings, while others were enormous and puffing out big clouds of thick grey smoke. Their party was high enough up that they could see workers moving around the compounds like tiny ants at the closest factories, but they most likely wouldn't be that visible to those same workers.

“We'll need to backtrack a little and find a place to set up camp for the night,” Jango waited for them to have a look before urging his eopie back around.

“It's kind of marshy though,” Satine remarked distastefully, glancing back over her shoulder at the hilly area they'd just traversed.

Jango sighed, “Yes, but it will be our best bet at finding good coverage so we can't be seen from the road just in case they have any patrols searching through the night.”

None of them had to ask who “they” was, nor did any of them argue with his advice. Instead they all followed him back behind the hill, off the road and through the dense foliage of a small, marshy valley.

They had to wind through the hills for almost fifteen minutes before they were able to find a slightly less wet, flatter valley that hid them from the sight of the road. There they unloaded and began to set up camp for the night.

Jango carefully brought out the full, lidded buckets of water they'd filled at lunch, and Obi-Wan now understood why Jango had bothered to fill them in the river and seal all of them before continuing on. Obi-Wan had thought at the time that it was extra weight their animals didn't need to carry, as they'd always been close to a clean water source. But the water here was soupy and it wouldn't be the greatest idea to drink it without treating it with some very powerful purifiers.

They were able to build a small fire, but it seemed to struggle to stay lit. Jango had also thought to bring along the extra dry grass bundles Satine and Obi-Wan had made the night before.

“Ground's too wet,” Jango muttered the third time Obi-Wan had to relight the bundles. “We'll probably be able to keep it lit for one boil of water, then we'll have to let it die for the night. It's going to be a cold sleep,” he remarked baldly.

Obi-Wan shivered under his cloak at Jango's words.

* * *

A hand on his shoulder shook Obi-Wan awake an hour before the sun rose the next morning.

Master Qui-Gon looked down at him in concern and Obi-Wan noticed that both Satine, who he'd been snuggled up to during the night, and Jango on her other side, were up and preparing to leave.

“You seemed dead to the word,” his Master remarked to him with a smile, handing him a cold ration bar. “We thought we'd let you sleep until we were almost ready to leave.”

Obi-Wan took the bar stiffly and let his Master help him from the ground. 

They quickly finished readying and mounted the freshly rested eopies.

“We need to get down the side of the valley quickly, but discretely. Some of the factories will have started shifts this early, and we need to be noticed as little as possible,” Jango told them as they started back towards the road. “Once the road gets into the valley, it will fork: left into the Factory district, and right in a meandering loop through the beginning of the Hill district. Well be going right. It's actually a longer route to our destination, but much safer and less populated. This will mean we're skirting the capital completely though.”

They all followed Jango's lead and the ride into the valley was tense and quiet. They went quickly, but not too quickly, paced more like they had somewhere they needed to be, but weren't in any hurry.

No one spoke as they got onto the valley floor and rode directly past a security droid that was driving as speeder-bike around the perimeter of the nearest building. Obi-Wan had packed away his cloak at the camp this morning, on his Master's advice and Obi-Wan was glad he'd listened. He didn't want to be noticed now that they were so much closer to their destination.

After thirty long, tense minutes, the road curved around another hill and the valley disappeared from view.

Obi-Wan, Satine and Master Qui-Gon all relaxed in relief, but Jango's shoulders were still tight and tense for the next two hours of their journey.

At their noon rest stop, the eopies drank the last of the water Jango had brought, and he looked a little worried. They'd all emptied the last of their canteens a couple of hours ago as well.

“We're coming up to a town in a few clicks,” Jango said quietly to Master Qui-Gon. “Normal I would advise going around it, but I hesitate to add any more distance onto our trip. If we do go through we might be able to stop and refill our canteens somewhere.”

“It might not be safe to stop,” Obi-Wan's Master remarked, stroking his beard.

Jango shrugged stiffly, his brow tight as he tried to think of another solution.

“How long does it put on our trip if we go around the town?” Satine asked.

“Two, maybe three hours.”

“And how long to our destination if we go through town?” She replied. It had been a while since she had looked at the map Jango would occasionally examine. The map that Master Qui-Gon was looking down at it now.

“Four hours tops.”

“I think we should go through town, but not stop,” Master Qui-Gon cut in. “There's always a possibility that there will be some Death Watch, so we'll need to do our best not to attract any attention. We can all last four hours without water.”

They all agreed and began to pack everything away. Obi-Wan made for his and Satine's packs before they climbed back up. He dug out a pastel blue scarf Mi-Nah had packed into his bag the week before and handed it to Satine.

“You should wear this instead of your hat, so it covers your hair. I've noticed that most humes on Concord Dawn are dark haired, and you'll stand otherwise.”

“What about you?” Satine frowned at him.

He adjusted his hat, making sure his padawan braid was still securely in place behind his ear. “My hair isn't quite as obvious, and I would look ridiculous with a blue scarf on my head.”

She smiled softly at his sarcasm and wrapped the scarf around her head and neck so it hid her hair.

The journey into town was surreal. For Obi-Wan, who hadn't been in an urban center in months, even one as small as this felt far too busy and loud. It was quite small and simple in design. Signs pointed to a main street with shops and services to one side, but the road they were travelling on seemed like a central street that traveled through the busiest residential area. A school was bracketed on both sides by houses on one side of the street, and a building of worship on the other, as they traveled in from the outskirts. 

It must have been Benduday, because the school seemed devoid of life, but many residents seemed to be bustling in and out of the religious building.

The town seemed big enough and busy enough that a few people glanced their way, but mostly they were ignored.

As they continued through, they crossed through one major intersection that Obi-Wan turned to look down. He saw two people walking away from them in armor, but they were far enough away that he wasn't sure if their designs were the blue and grey of Death Watch, or other similar colors like silver and black. He was just glad they didn't glance their way and the Force never screamed out in warning.

Once they were out of the town, they all seemed to feel a sudden relief. They were nearing the end of their journey and as of yet hadn't run into any trouble.

They just had no idea they were walking into a different kind of trouble at their destination.

* * *

They arrived at the ranch about an hour before the sun would set, and already the sky seemed darker, even if the sun hadn't quiet touched the horizon yet.

They dismounted their animals with a sigh of relief and left them tied to the gate.

Jango was the one to knock on the door, and they all waited for a few minutes of tense silence. What if the tenants were not home or had left planet? Mi-Nah had last talked to her sister almost a week ago. Anything could have changed in that time.

What if the couple was unwilling to take them in? Where would they go from here?

They had little left in the way of supplies and they were all exhausted from the journey.

Questions swirled through Obi-Wan's head as the door finally opened and two women appeared in the doorway.

The scent of virile alpha drifted off one of them, but Obi-Wan couldn't tell which from this distance.

“Yes?” Asked the taller, darker woman whose dark brown eyes reminded Obi-Wan of Mi-Nah and Jango. He knew that both of them had indigenous heritage from Concord Dawn, and so he guessed that she must be Mi-Nah's sister.

“I'm Jango,” Jango said shortly, full of confidence. “You must be Ak-Ora. Mi-Nah said you'd be expecting us?”

“Oh,” said the woman in surprise. “We hadn't heard anything about you in the last three days, we thought you'd decided not to come or had been captured.”

“Where's your speeder or ship?” The shorter, lighter-haired woman asked bluntly, looking behind them to the road.

“We came on eopie back,” Jango answered, matter-of-factly.

“You what?! That must have been a three-day trip!” She said shocked, voice loud with incredulity.

Jango let out one breathy chuckle. “Yes. But you know what's happening in the Grain district right now. And you know who we are, so you know why we had to get out quickly. And we had to be as discrete as possible.”

Her lips parted and her brow furrowed, eyes darting to behind them to make sure no one was witnessing their meeting from the road. “ _Elek_. Let's get you inside and talk,” she gestured them in, the two women stepping back so they could enter.

The home was quiet, clean and the smell of baking bread drifted on the air.

Obi-Wan felt his shoulders relax, feeling safe in this space.

None of them realized their troubles were far from over.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank-you to everyone who has commented and will comment. Your comments keep me going on this fic! :)
> 
> There is a companion piece to this chapter from Satine's perspective here: [Love Conquers All](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27169180/chapters/69682329).


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